The Central Govt. has released Rs 225 crore to the Maharashtra government for boosting tourism in the coastal belt.

As per a report in the Times of India, the amount has been disbursed on the recommendation of the finance commission and the state is among the first five in the country to have received such a massive aid. 

Chhagan Bhujbal, Tourism & Public Works Minister said, "We had submitted a comprehensive action plan for developing the Konkan region. Our proposal has been accepted and we have actually received the money. In fact, some of the projects have already been launched and we are determined to implement the entire plan in a time-bound period."

A week ago , senior officials of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation , Archaeological Survey of India and Maharashtra Maritime Board as well as environment and forest departments held a marathon meeting with the collectors of Mumbai , Thane , Ratnagiri , Raigad and Sindhudurg and discussed the projects threadbare . "Tourism schemes for each district were submitted long ago . Now, we have set a deadline for all the collectors and officials concerned to implement the schemes ," Bhujbal said. 

A senior MTDC official said the emphasis will be on development of beaches, upgradation and construction of new resorts, wayside amenities, water supply schemes for tourist destination, improving of approach roads and conservation of forts. 

When MTDC officials conducted a preliminary survey of tourism facilities in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, it was found that Maharashtra lagged in the race due to lack of basic facilities, resulting in a huge loss to the state exchequer. 

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