Medical Tourism
Chhattisgarh to become eco-tourism hub
By Sujeet Kumar
May 3, 2006 - 1:03:00 AM

Chhattisgarh will soon open herbal shops offering medicinal facilities at over 35 tourist sites and rest houses in a bid to become a hub of eco-tourism.

"Foreign and domestic tourists visiting Chhattisgarh's 35 natural and religious tourists sites will get herbal medicinal facilities," Tourism Minister Brijmohan Agrawal told IANS.

He said the state would set up a 25-acre herbal and medicinal park in the Kurud area of Dhamtari district, near Raipur, to supply products to these herbal shops.

The minister also added that the government was focusing on creating world-class infrastructure facilities in and around tourist sites.

"Private firms have flooded the government with proposals to bring in over Rs. 400 billion in the tourism sector," he said.

According to him, a majority of the proposals are for eco-tourism and infrastructure development, apart from the construction of over 100 hotels and motels on roads connecting popular tourist sites.

Among the tourist attractions in Chhattisgarh are the Indravati river fall in Bastar, the Kanger valley national park, and the Buddhist religious centre in Sirpur, Mahasamund district.

The state is also known for caves and rocks, which are centuries old.

Chhattisgarh is one of the richest bio-diversity zones of the country with 44 percent of its area under forest cover.

The Indian government has recognised Chhattisgarh as a "maximum tourism potential" state and will help its endeavours in establishing itself as a centre of eco-tourism.

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