Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday said that Morni-Tikkar Taal will mark its own identity on the country's map.

“Now, the tourists passing through Haryana will be attracted to the exciting water and aero sports started at Tikkar Taal. After Goa, water sports activities are being started in Tikkar Taal in North India” the Chief Minister said after launching various activities at Tikkar Taal and releasing the brochure of Home Stay, Farm Tourism and Bus Tour Package at Tikkar Taal, Morni Hills in Panchkula.

The Chief Minister said that all necessary arrangements would be made to promote tourism activities in Morni Tikkar Taal. This facility will increase further after completing the necessary formalities of licensing etc.

The facility of paragliding in Tikkar Taal would also be started soon. An agreement has been signed with the company for organising hot balloon activity in Pinjore, which will also start soon, he said. 

Work is also being done to make arrangements for mobile connectivity, road connectivity and petrol pump etc. in the Morni-Tikkar Taal area, he added.   

The Chief Minister said that there are plans to start water sports activities at many other places in the state.  Water sports activities can also be started in Brahma Sarovar, Kurukshetra, Karnal lake,  Karnal, Damdama lake, Tiliyar lake etc.

About Home Stay and Farm Stay policy, Khattar said that under the scheme to increase the employment opportunities for people in the Morni-Tikkar Taal area, a Home Stay Policy has been launched. With this Policy, the income of the people will increase as well as tourists will also get more facilities.  Besides this, plans have been made to promote farm tourism in this area. This will attract more and more tourists and they will be able to take the adventure of rural and hilly areas, he added. 

The Chief Minister announced that a water pooling policy would be brought soon to solve the problem of waterlogging in some areas of the state.  Under this, lakes will be constructed in the areas where there is a problem of waterlogging, so that along with land reclamation, tourism can be promoted.

Khattar said that there is ample scope to promote tourism in Haryana.  So far, the share of tourism in the GDP of the state is only 0.3 per cent.  Haryana government is making continuous efforts to increase this.  The tourism department is also likely to work on PPP mode to recover some prime locations from losses, he added.

 VARIOUS PROJECTS LAUNCHED BY CM

Adventure sports such as parasailing, paramotor and jet scooter began at Tikkar Taal, Morni Hills under the comprehensive plan on development of adventure sports activities to promote tourism in Haryana.

Required training would be provided by the Department to local youth to develop their skills to carry out adventure activities which will not only  generate ample employment opportunities for them but would also give a major boost to the State Government’s consistent efforts towards development of tourism in Panchkula, Tikkar Taal, Morni Hills, the Chief Minister said.

In view of promoting Haryanvi culture across the country and globe, the Chief Minister released a brochure highlighting the key features of State’s Home Stay Policy, which aims to  give tourists an excellent alternate to hotels as they can get an opportunity to live with local families in their homes and experience the native culture and cuisine.

Khattar also released a brochure of revamped Farm Tourism Policy in Haryana, wherein more and more exciting farms have been added to the illustrious list and now, tourists can choose from a range of farm houses to enjoy weekends and holidays with friends and families. It will help in providing livelihood opportunities to local farm owners and villagers. He said that developing Morni is a key feature of the integrated Panchkula development plan therefore on June 20, 2021, he had visited here for the inspection of all these water and aero sports events.

The Chief Minister said that the first Tourist Facilitation Centre has been opened in Panchkula and more such centres will be opened soon. The Chief Minister also launched a City Tour Bus Service - "Scenic Tour Package." This bus will run twice a week and will cover Panchkula, Kalka, Mansa Devi, Nada Sahib etc.