The Chamundeshwari temple atop Chamundi Hills in Mysuru. | Photo Credit: File photo The hurdles surrounding the sanction of funds for the development of Chamundeshwari temple in Mysuru under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme dominated the discussions at the South Zone Tourism Ministers’ conclave here on Monday.Drawing attention to the State’s pending tourism proposals, Tourism Minister H.K. Patil said: “The first instalment of the sanctioned project cost of ₹45.71 crore for the development of Chamundeshwari temple is yet to be released. Similarly, we await the first tranche of approved funding for the project proposals worth ₹46.81 crore under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 programmes for Mysuru and Hampi. The delay in the release of funds is causing hardships and embarrassment for the State and hindering the timely completion of critical projects.” However, officials from the Central department said that there was no hold-up from their side and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was pending. Officials of ASI in turn said that the revised drawings were due to come from the State’s Tourism Department as previously approved designs had to be optimised to offset impact of escalation.Revised drawingsSalma Fahim, Principal Secretary, Tourism, informed that the revised drawings were submitted on September 4. “If there is something pending at the State level for the Chamundeshwari temple, then it should be submitted quickly. We have instructed the ASI to work quickly on the procedures needed in Hampi,” said Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism.Projects withdrawnMr. Patil also said that many projects that were granted for Karnataka had been withdrawn.“In the last five years, Karnataka was sanctioned ₹209 crore for different projects. Out of that, only ₹19 crore has been released and all the other projects which were in the pipeline were withdrawn. I ask the Union Minister to reconsider and resanction the same,” he said. He also informed that Karnataka would soon submit a detailed project report for the development of Renuka Yellamma temple and Papnash temple under the PRASAD scheme and sought quick approvals from the Ministry of Tourism.Cost of travelThe conclave was attended by Tourism Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry, and Suresh Gopi, Union Minister of State for Tourism, and senior officials of the Tourism departments from across the country. Mr. Shekhawat highlighted the need to make tourism more affordable in India, noting that the cost of hotels and flights here were very high when compared to destinations such as Thailand or Dubai. Published – September 09, 2024 09:35 pm IST