 |
|
| Kathmandu, Monday December 23, 2002 Paush 08, 2059. |
|
EIA to shape to eco-tourism
project
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Dec 22:With the government initiating
a study on environment impact assessment (EIA) on a multi-million dollar Eco-tourism
project a couple of weeks ago, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) financed third tourism
project is likely to take its final shape soon.
According to a high-level government official,
the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation is conducting the environmental
assessment on the much-talked tourism project in co-ordination with Nepal Tourism Board
(NTB) and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
The third tourism project was earlier scheduled
to be introduced early this year, but has not been finalised yet due to the delay in
environment impact assessment and the escalating domestic insecurity.
"The components of the Eco-tourism project
was set long time back. But with the change in the internal situation of the country, it
was difficult to ascertain effective implementation of the project, which led to its
delay," said a highly placed ADB official talking to The Kathmandu Post today.
The total cost of the Eco-tourism project would
be US$ 30 million, as per the preliminary estimates, says a government source adding, most
of this would be financed by the Asian Development Bank. Confirming on the funding from
the ADB, one of the high-level ADB officials had recently said that the new project would
probably be launched in 2004.
The delay in the completion of Second Tourism
Infrastructure Development Project (STIDP) too was another reason behind the postponement
of the project.
The STIDP was supposed to be completed by the
end of December 2001, but the controversy over the construction of landfill sites at
Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City, one of the components of the project, forced the extension
of the project to the end of March 2003.
The major components of the yet-to-be-launched
project are the infrastructure development and awareness building on eco-conservation,
says Subas Nirola, Director at NTB. "There would be hardware and software components
of the project," he said.
Under the hardware component of the project,
some rural airports would be upgraded and some new tourism trails would be developed. The
five airports that would get a face-lift after the commencement of the project include
airports at Taplejung, Tumlingtar, Simikot of Humla, and Masinechour and Jufal both of
Dolpa district.
With the infrastructure upgradation of these
airports, the NTB would be able to promote high-valued tourism spots of all sectors,
claims Nirola. "At a time when the NTB is looking forward to develop Ilam,
Basantapur, Lumbini and Rara, among others, as tourism sub-hubs, the expansion of
facilities in these airports would assist in our tourism development endeavour," he
adds.
In addition to the airport improvement, the
project also aims at ameliorating the environment of Tansen, along with developing
infrastructures at Lumbini and Simikot to attract more tourists. The project would also
work for infrastructure development in the surrounding Village Development Committees in
Kanchenjunga and Sagarmatha Himalayan range.
The new eco-tourism project is being prepared to
undertake park management and wildlife conservation at Makalu Barun National Park. And it
aims at extending the road infrastructures in Lumbini area and establishing a new tourist
information centre there.
The ADB-financed US$ 22.4 million STIDP had also
focussed on infrastructure development in airports at various parts of the country and
environment upgradation of major cities. The STIDP had three major targets that included
developing six domestic airports, promoting eco-tourism and environment improvement in the
Pokhara Valley.
The project also worked on developing campsites
and micro-hydel projects with the capacity of generating 10 to 33 kilowatts electricity.
The STIDP had constructed five heli-pads and also carried out other development works at
Manaslu area.
Other Stories
|
