Shillong, Feb 10: Garo Hills is set to benefit from a major push to expand its tourism industry, with a five-star hotel, functional airport and other projects in the works, Tourism Minister Timothy D Shira said today.
The land for the five-star hotel will be handed over formally on Wednesday. The state-owned Polo Orchid hotel occupies the site and this will be transformed by an international hotel group for upmarket accommodation. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 40 crore and will be developed on 1-2 acres of land.
Shira said efforts are also being made to improve connectivity. At present, the nearest airports to Tura are Guwahati or Umroi, but the upcoming Baljek Airport is expected to reduce the distance to about 30km. Baljek Airport is an airport in all but name and progress to make it functional has been stalled for several years.
The minister added that several other tourism projects are underway, including a Rs 23 crore tourist lodge in Siju, a Rs 23 crore convention centre in Resubelpara (Shira’s own constituency) and development work in Mendalgre at an estimated cost of Rs 23 crore.
