Rs 1,040-cr plan to develop Kolhapur

A Rs 1,040-crore plan to develop Kolhapur as a pilgrimage centre was submitted by Mumbai-based Footrace Consultancy to tourism minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil.Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) has demanded that the city be given the status of a pilgrimage centre on the lines of Nanded, following which the plan was prepared. It will be sent by the district planning and development council (DPDC) to the State and Central governments for approval.According to the plan, the total fund involved in this project is Rs 1,040 crore, in which the Central government's share will be 51 per cent, State government 34 per cent, municipal corporation 6 per cent, while nine per cent will come from build, operate and transfer basis, the sources said. The draft contains three separate zones, namely religious, city and out of city. The religious zone contains development of the Mahalaxmi Temple and surrounding areas. City zone includes development of main roads, gardens, railway line, overbridge, etc, while Panhala fort, Jyotiba, Narsobawadi and Khidrapur temple area will be developed under the out-of-city zone. Mohite-Patil said he would try to get funds from the State and Centre for the development of the city as a pilgrimage centre.