By IANS,
Agra : The city of the Taj Mahal is gearing up to meet the expected tourist rush during the Commonwealth Games in 2010, an official said.
The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a review of the state of preparedness and assess the infrastructural needs of the city to accommodate around a million tourists, who are likely to visit the Taj Mahal during the conduct of the games.
Director General state tourism Sushil Kumar Saturday told media persons that the exercise to get Agra ready for the big event has already begun. “In addition to broad basing and upgrading infrastructural facilities, there is need for a night bazaar,” he said.
He said 1.5-2 million tourists could visit the city during the Commonwealth Games. State agencies were working on plans to woo the tourists from Delhi to Agra.
Kumar was keen that the monuments are made encroachment-free and the area around the sites are cleared of obstructions. A consultant was likely to be appointed soon, he said.
An official said there was need for expansion of hotels as more rooms would be required to accommodate the tourists. “The state government could come up with some concessional or incentive package to motivate the hoteliers to add rooms to their existing structures,” the official said.