BENGALURU: Soon, people will be able to go on boat rides in the lake outside the Srirangapatna Fort. The state tourism department is doing this to attract people to the historic site, said Tourism Minister C T Ravi.
Srirangapatna Fort is located in Mandya district — a drive of about two-and-a-half hours from Bengaluru. It was built by Thimmanna Nayaka in 1454 and became prominent during the rule of Tipu Sultan. The river Cauvery surrounds the fort on one side.
The fort’s surroundings need to cleaned and a trench has to be dug to allow Cauvery water to flow in for boating.Minister Ravi said a trench will be built to surround the fort, where water will be flowed for boating. A sum of Rs 5 crore has been allocated for this, he said, adding that the Archeology Department will take up the work. The matter is pending before the PWD for technical approval. “We have chosen Srirangapatna and 20 other destinations to improve. If needed, we will seek funds from the Centre,’’ Ravi said, adding that the total cost for the project is Rs 98 crore.Development of sports tourism and private companies adopting tourist destinations under CSR were also discussed during the assembly session.
‘No funds to develop stadiums’
Bengaluru: Youth Empowerment and Sports Minister CT Ravi in Wednesday’s assembly session said his department needs at least Rs 380 crore to upgrade and provide basic amenities to all district and taluk stadiums. There are 29 district stadiums and another 117 at taluk. “We need Rs 147 crore to develop district stadiums and Rs 234 crore for taluk stadiums, but we do not have sufficient funds. Only Rs 11.4 crore has been allotted in the budget - what can I do?’’ he questioned.