Indian Oil Corporation will fund restoration of the Sun temple at Konark in Orissa, Minister for Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni said on Tuesday.
"The Archaeological Survey of India has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the IOC and the Indian Oil Foundation for development of visitor facilities at five heritage sites. The Sun Temple at Konark is among them," she said replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.
The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 13.08 crore (Rs 130.8 million). The main components of the project include development of main avenue and arrival point, interpretation centre and ticket counter, development of access road and streetscape, parking, signage, lighting of the monument, development of the 'navagraha' temple and open-air theatre area.
Soni said the government had sanctioned three ecotourism projects for Orissa in 2005-06 and one project for 2006-07.
Schemes scantioned in 2005-06 include development of Gopalpur-on-Sea at a cost of Rs 4.47 crore (Rs 44.7 million), development of Taptapani in district Ganjam as tourist destination at a cost of Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million) and development of Chilka Lake at a cost of Rs 3.89 crore (Rs 38.9 million).
For 2006-07, a scheme for development of Simlipal in district Mayurbanj at a cost of Rs 2.97 crore (Rs 29.7 million)had been sanctioned, she said.
To another question, Soni said tourism projects worth Rs 24.81 crore (Rs 248.1 million) were sanctioned for Assam in 2005-06. These include circuit development of Manas-Guwahati-Kaziranga.
In 2004-05, schemes worth Rs 8.51 crore (Rs 85.1 million) were sanctioned while in 2003-04 six projects worth Rs 6.71 crore (Rs 67.1 million) were sanctioned.
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