Chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced this while on a two-day tour of the islands .The decision to do so was taken after the discovery of a number of virgin islands near Sagar Islands. The government will also project the deep sea port off Sagar Island as an investment destination. Though the trip aims at seeking investment, Banerjee probably wants to project that the islands can be transformed into a tourism hub of international standard that could offer globe-trotters an exciting travel experience: virgin beaches, river and sea cruises, stays in tents and on yachts, adventure sports and, of course, the Sundarbans, the largest single block of mangrove forest in the world, home to the Bengal Tiger.
One of the challenges for the government was connecting Jharkhali and Sagar. Presently, there is an unorganised sector that operates boats and barges. ‘We now want to integrate this sector by offering operators some common facilities, on the lines of backwater tourism in Kerala,’ said Alapan Bandyopadhyay, principal secretary, transport.
The government, a source said, plans to offer a common booking system for all available facilities through a single portal. The Sagar Islands, which is one of the state’s biggest and most important pilgrimage spots, hosts one of the biggest annual congregation of pilgrims: the Sagar Mela.
The coastal region also offers innumerable creeks and rivulets to explore. Officials said that once the plan gets approved, it will be included in the proposed tourism circuit project that the state government has planned on a 500-km stretch from Jangalmahal to the Sagar Islands. The tourism department has submitted a detailed report to the Centre for the proposed project to be approved and funded, the source said.
One of the challenges for the government was connecting Jharkhali and Sagar. Presently, there is an unorganised sector that operates boats and barges. ‘We now want to integrate this sector by offering operators some common facilities, on the lines of backwater tourism in Kerala,’ said Alapan Bandyopadhyay, principal secretary, transport.
The government, a source said, plans to offer a common booking system for all available facilities through a single portal. The Sagar Islands, which is one of the state’s biggest and most important pilgrimage spots, hosts one of the biggest annual congregation of pilgrims: the Sagar Mela.
The coastal region also offers innumerable creeks and rivulets to explore. Officials said that once the plan gets approved, it will be included in the proposed tourism circuit project that the state government has planned on a 500-km stretch from Jangalmahal to the Sagar Islands. The tourism department has submitted a detailed report to the Centre for the proposed project to be approved and funded, the source said.