SILIGURI: Hill tour project shelved


Siliguri, Aug. 13: The Ambuja Group has put on hold a tourism project planned in association with the world famous Makaibari Tea Estate because of the political turmoil in the Darjeeling hills.

“It is true that we had planned a tourism project in Makaibari Tea Estate in association with the garden management. However, we have put the project on hold because of the present political situation in the hills. The plan is ready but it will take some time for us to put in place the infrastructure and make the project operational,” Harsh Neotia, the chairman of Ambuja Realty Development Limited, said here today.


Makaibari tea estate in the Darjeeling hills
The hills plunged into political uncertainty ever since the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha revived the agitation for a separate state two years ago. As strikes and violence became the order of the day, tourism took a beating with domestic and international visitors reluctant to come to the hills.

Sources said according to the project conceived jointly by Neotia and owner of the estate Rajah Banerjee, a resort would be developed on 24 acres of land. The resort will cater for both domestic and international tourists and the developers hope the globally-known Makaibari brand and the garden’s location will work as USPs.

Neotia said the group had also plans to launch a project at Lataguri on the fringes of Gorumara National Park in the Dooars. “Around Rs 25 crore will be invested in the two tourism projects in north Bengal,” he said.
In Makaibari, sources said, Ambuja would present the concept of a leisure hotel in the form of “kutir” or cottage, much like the Ganga Kutir developed by the company at Raichak, 50km from Calcutta.

The chairman said the group wanted both the projects to be completed together. “Unlike in the hills, there is no political strife as such in the Dooars. But our idea is to create a tourism circuit in north Bengal. We intend to stick to that plan and will develop both the properties simultaneously. We are waiting for improvement in the situation in the hills and will definitely implement both the projects,” said Neotia. He was addressing a news conference to announce the setting-up of the third City Centre at the Uttarayon Township in Matigara.

“We will be bringing in new and top notch brands like Shoppers Stop, Spencer’s, KFC and Crossword to the City Centre for the residents of Siliguri and neighbouring areas,” said Neotia. “Also, the Big Cinemas will open a four-screen multiplex with a capacity to accommodate 1,000 people.” He added that City Centre Siliguri would be opened in December.

The real estate major has two City Centres in Bengal and both are in Calcutta.

“More than 5,000 people would be employed at the City Centre that we hope will develop as a hub of economic activity in north Bengal,” said Neotia.

source; the telegraph