Assam: Corporation set up for development of tourism in Bodo areas

The Bodoland Tourism Development Corporation Limited will regulate and streamline the tourism sector in BTC jurisdiction areas in cooperation with Bodoland Territorial Council.

Guwahati:The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) has constituted an entity for the promotion of tourism in Bodo-dominated areas of Assam and to encourage local entrepreneurs through new initiatives. The Bodoland Tourism Development Corporation Limited (BTDCL), formed on the lines of the Assam Tourism Development Corporation, will regulate and streamline the tourism sector in BTC jurisdiction areas, a press release said.

Chief Executive Member of the BTC, Pramod Boro, who has been elected as the first chairperson of the BTDCL, briefed shareholders and directors of the corporation about its objectives and the areas that need to be focused on for encouraging sustainable tourism in the region. The formation of the corporation would provide a mechanism for creation of new tourism development avenues to encourage local entrepreneurs and other private sector participation through a public-private partnership policy framework, Boro said.

He said with the support of the Assam government, Kokrajhar, where the BTC's headquarters is located, was recently selected as one of the two districts in the state for integrated tourism development under the 'Swadesh Darshan 2.0' scheme of the central government, according to the release. Boro recommended the allotment of 10 acres of land in Kokrajhar for implementation of the 'Swadesh Darshan 2.0' scheme.

The meeting was attended by Joint Secretary of the BTC Wilburn Samuel Daimary and council head of the tourism department Jayanta Kumar Sharma. Sharma was also appointed as one of the directors of the corporation. The shareholders present in the meeting were entrepreneurs William Narzary,
Kabita Basumatary , Babul Basumatary and Jwngarang Brahma. BTC is a self governing body created under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution for the Bodo dominated areas in Assam. (PTI)