Coming soon: Hotel at picturesque Sawantwadi railway station

As the station is far from the city, the hotel is likely to be a boon for passengers.

The Konkan Railway (KR) and state government’s Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) will jointly develop a hotel at Sawantwadi, a popular tourist town in Sindhudurg district of Konkan.The residential hotel will be developed in the premises of the Sawantwadi railway station on land owned by KR.

As the station is far from the city, the hotel is likely to be a boon for passengers. (HT FILE PHOTO)

As the station is far from the city, the hotel is likely to be a boon for passengers. A detailed project report (DPR) on the hotel is being prepared by MTDC who want to develop a hotel with at least 20 rooms and also provide recreational facilities for tourists.

“The station land belongs to us whereas the construction of the hotel will be undertaken by MTDC,” said Sanjay Gupta, chairman and managing director, KR.

Apart from being picturesque, Sawantwadi railway station will also be an ideal destination to build a hotel due to its proximity to Goa (99km away) and Amboli hill station (31km away). “We are positive about the construction of the hotel as it will give a boost to tourism in the area. A DPR was never prepared earlier so we are also identifying the benefits that passengers will get from the hotel,” said Vijay Kumar Gautam, principal secretary, tourism, government of Maharashtra.

MTDC aims to inaugurate the hotel before Ganesh Chaturthi next year. “The DPR is expected by October-end and after finalising the details we aim to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with KR in the first week of November. After this, tender process will begin,” said Gautam.

The idea of building a hotel inside the station premises was first mooted by Suresh Prabhu during his tenure as Union railway minister.