Tourism boost: Five-star hotels to come up at Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg, Tadoba reserve

In a bid to boost tourism in the state, the Maharashtra government on Thursday inked lease deed and memorandums of understanding (MoU) with two hotel groups to build five-star facilities at Sindhudurg and Tadoba national park near Chandrapur.

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) signed a deed with Indian Hotels Company Ltd, which runs Taj Hotels, for development of a five-star tourist facility at Shiroda-Velagar, Sindhudurg district, while the tourism department signed an MoU with Thriving Hotel Pvt Ltd for another five-star hotel around Tadoba reserve to boost tourism. The hotel groups are expected to construct the properties in a span of three years.

“For us at the Tourism dept, it was a moment of pride. Our Mission Begin Again will get a boost as more hotel groups are coming to Maharashtra to give a boost to international tourism in Maharashtra… Both these hotels will bring more than ₹125 crore of investment to Maharashtra (sic),” State tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray tweeted after the deals were inked at chief minister’s (CM’s) official residence Varsha. He added that the department, through its schemes and plans, will see to it that the tourism sector contributes the maximum in the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the next six months.

The state cabinet on June 10 passed a proposal to allot 54.40-hectare land at Shiroda in Vengurla tehsil of Sindhudurg district for a five-star facility. With the deal signed on Thursday, the land has been given at 90-year lease at a nominal rent for tourism development in state’s tourism district.

The land, according to officials, has been leased at a nominal rent of ₹1 and one-time premium of 110% of ready-reckoner rate.

The proposal was stuck in limbo for over 25 years. After the decision to allot land to the Taj Group was taken in 1994, the land was acquired in stages till 1998 by MTDC. Part of the land is in the group’s possession, while it has been pushing for possession of the remaining land.

“Taj Hotels Group has officially come to Sindhudurg now. The district, meant to be a tourism hub, was awaiting this crown for 2 decades. The MVA Govt resolved the issues in the first 3 months & today an MoU was signed. In 3 years’ time, a Taj Hotel will be running in Shiroda,” tweeted

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the state has several beaches, forts, forests and tigers in Tadoba reserve.

“We should introduce these places before the world in the right manner. The state is always encouraging investment in the tourism sector. With Taj Hotels coming to Konkan, the world will know the splendour of Konkan,” Thackeray said in a statement from the chief minister’s office.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar added that the development in tourism will lead to an increase in employment opportunities in the state.