INDIAN STATE : ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Tourism

Department of Tourism, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh has made a humble beginning to create tourism infrastructure at different locations. Arunachal Pradesh has tremendous scope for development of various types of tourism activities, such as cultural tourism, adventure tourism, historical tourism, wildlife tourism, nature based tourism and eco-tourism. The Department of Tourism, during last couple of years has taken up various developmental programmes to boost up tourism activities in the state. Some of the achievement made during this period in infrastructural sector are: -

• Construction of tourist lodges at Dirang , Darak, Zemithang and Ziro.
  
• Construction of cafeteria at Itanagar and Dirang.
  
• Construction of coffee house -cum-guest House at Mayudia.
  
• Construction of Hawa Garh at Itanagar and Yazali.
  
• Construction of viewpoint at Namdang and Darkang.
  
• Electrification at Ganga lake has been completed.
  
• Development around Malinithan was completed.

In addition to above schemes, the following projects have also been taken up recently under Central financial assistance: -

• Construction of cafeteria at Tenga Valley, Sessa, Lumla and Jang.
  
• Construction of cafeteria-cum-Souvenir shop at Tipi.
  
• Construction of basic amenities at Zemithang and Tawang .
  
• Construction of approach road at Tourist Lodge, Zemithang.

The Department of Tourism proposes to take up more such developmental schemes and exploring more of places of tourist interests in the form of providing infrastructural facilities such as construction of tourist lodges tourist, huts, hawa garhs, wayside amenities, development of lakes, of all types of adventure sports, etc at various places of tourist interests in near future.

Eco and Adventure Tourism

Similarly, eco-tourism has a great potential for development. There are a large number of tourists on pilgrimage, who would like to visit Tawang monastery along with similar places of interests in Eastern Bhutan, which may be ideal for pilgrim tourism for the Buddhists. For that a massive investment in infrastructure and manpower planning will be required. Arunachal possesses fantastically breadth taking natural beauty and scenery within its limits, which very few States in India command. Tawang in particular and former Kameng district in general commands famous Buddhist sites, which have an instant international attraction to the potential tourists. It may be an ideal location winter games and sports in India. Once the relations with China are normalized, the Tawang and Bomdila,located on the shortest possible route from the Indian plains to Lhasa will open up a new possibility of prosperity. Similarly, the Tsango- Brahmputra river system does not only have the possibility of generating only electricity and providing irrigation water to the parched agricultural fields, but also will lead to adventure tourism across the boundary in the region. Incidentally, this is also the region,where bird and wild life sanctuaries are located. in which gibbons, "spectacle" monkeys, rare breeds of squirrels and a number of birds, not found any where in the world are located

Arunachal Pradesh being a protected area, tourists are required to get an Inner Line Permit (ILP)/ Protected Area Permit as follows:

For Domestic Tourist

Inner line Permits are issued by the Secretary (Political), Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar and respective Deputy Commissioner and Additional Deputy Commissioner of the districts. These can also be obtained from Resident Commissioner's office/ Liaison offices located at New Delhi, Calcutta, Guwahati, Shillong, Dibrugarh, Tezpur, North Lakhimpur, and Jorhat.

For Foreign Tourists

The foreign tourists can obtain the Protected Area Permit from all Indian Missions abroad, Home Ministry, Govt. of India and Home Commissioners, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar, for a period of 10 (ten) days for a group consisting of four or more persons.

Other Major Projects in Arunachal Pradesh

• Improvement of road from Lumla to Tashigong totaling 36 kms at estimated cost of Rs.38 crore has been taken up under Phase 'A' of SARDP-NE.
• Kameng Hydroelectric Project (MW 4X150=600) was sanctioned in December 2004 at a cost of Rs.2496.90 crore. This is likely to be commissioned by August 2011.
• Under the Annual Plans for development of National Highways and under Central Roads Funds/Inter State connectivity/Economic Importance for development of State roads/Major District roads and other roads Rs.39.32 crore have been provided.
• Projects worth Rs. 207.21 crore have been approved under NCLPR which include, among others, (i) Road from NH-52A Nirjuli to Sagalee (SH-Doimukh to Toru 45 km), (ii) improvement/construction road from Sagalee to Sakiang (50 Km);
• Construction of Motorable Suspension Bridge over river Siang at the site of Gandhi Bridge; (iv) 132 KV S/C Transmission line from Along to Pasighat and (v) Water Supply project at Bomdila Township.
• Conversion of Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar into Central University has been approved at an estimated cost of Rs. 105.32 crore (non-recurring) spread over the remaining period of the 9th Plan and the 11th Plan period and Rs.9.34 crore per annum (recurring).