Three prominent sites in Odisha, the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary, the Chilika lake and the Ekamra Kshetra in the city of Bhubaneswar, have been included in the UNESCO’s list of heritage sites, Minister for Tourism and Culture Ashok Chandra Panda said on Tuesday.
The number of ancient monuments and sites in Bhubaneswar has caused the city to be shortlisted by the UNESCO, Panda said while speaking at the SOA University here.
Panda, a city MlA who was felicitated at the School of Hotel Management run by the university, also expressed happiness at the capital city’s growth as an education hub. With several IT companies setting up their centres in Bhubaneswar, the city was discussed as an IT destination in a conclave held in San Francisco in 2010 and the matter has been given due weightage in the Vision-2030 document prepared by the IIT, Kharagpur, he said.
University Vice-Chancellor Prof RP Mohanty stressed the need for Odisha expanding its tourism infrastructure and set up a think-tank at the State level.