Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged the Union Minister of State for Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel to include at least two tourism sites of Odisha in the list of Iconic Tourism Sites of the country.
“The Union Finance Minister has announced in her Budget speech that 17 Iconic Tourism Sites will be developed into world class tourist destinations and to serve as a model for other tourism sites. These iconic sites will attract both domestic and international tourists in big numbers. But the omission of Odisha from the list has come as a surprise to the State,” lamented Patnaik in a letter to the Union Minister on Wednesday.
Mentioning about some important tourist destinations, the Chief Minister urged the Minister to include at least two of them in the proposed list of the Iconic Tourism Sites.
Naveen mentioned that the Konark Sun Temple, which was awarded the Unesco World Heritage Site tag in 1984, is today facing an existential crisis due to erosion.
The pristine Chandrabhaga Beach near the Konark Temple is among India's best beaches shortlisted for Blue Flag certification.
It makes the destination the most exotic synthesis of the contemporary luxury, traditional heritage and adventure tourism, he narrated.
He said the Chilika lake, the country’s second-largest Ramsar Wetland (designated in 1981) and Asia's largest brackish water lake, attract lakhs of migratory birds during winter every year. It also houses endangered Irrawaddy Dolphins.
The Bhitarkanika National Park, one of the largest mangrove eco-systems in India, held the Guinness World Record for housing the world's largest crocodile (at 23 feet). It was designated as a Ramsar site in 2002.
It also houses the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, which is a world- renowned rookery for the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle.
The Simlipal National Park, notified as a Biosphere Reserve in 1994, is not only a Tiger Reserve but also a part of Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve. It alone is home to 75 per cent tigers (including the rare melanistic tigers) and 25 per cent elephants of Odisha.
The Diamond Triangle Buddhist Circuit, Ratnagiri-Lalitgiri-Udayagiri complex, has the largest concentration of Buddhist remains in Odisha. Chinese Traveller Hieun T'sang is recorded to have seen more than one hundred Buddhist monasteries, including several centres of learning, during his visit to Kalinga in 7th century AD.
“Tourism sector contributes about 13 per cent to the State's GDP and needs a strategic boost. In view of this, the Government of India is requested to consider inclusion of at least two of the above mentioned tourist places in the list of Iconic Tourism Sites,” urged Patnaik.