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Following is an excerpt from a report in Hospitality Biz India.

… All the resorts are expected to be operational within the next 30 months. Swosti Group currently operates Hotel Swosti and Swosti Premium in Bhubaneswar and Swosti Palm Resort in Gopalpur-on–sea (Ganjam district).

Speaking with Hospitality Biz, J K Mohanty, Chairman, Swosti Group said, “Rural Tourism is a big source of employment for the rural youth. Looking at the potential of Rural Tourism, Swosti Group plans to open resorts in rural areas around Chilka Lake, Satapada and Puri in Orissa. Targeted to corporates as well as high-end Indian and foreign tourists, these projects will have villas, spas, entertainment activities, cruising service along with convention facilities. Eminent consultants and architects are involved in planning and designing of these projects, which are likely to come up in next two years.”

Swosti Chandan Spa Retreat, which is likely to come up in Puri, will have 106-rooms (including eight suites). “However, we are awaiting an approval from the Coastal Regulatory Zone authorities for the Puri property,” informed Mohanty. The resort near Chilka Lake, which is Asia’s largest brackish water lake famous for migratory birds and dolphins, will have 72 cottages. The resort will have spa, health club, gymnasium, restaurants, conference facilities and a landscape spread across nine acres of land. The luxury resort in Satapada will have 43 rooms. …

Following is an excerpt from http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews.aspx?aid=9394&sid=1.

Bhubaneswar-based BRM Group plans to open more boutique hotels in Orissa including Bhubaneswar and Puri. The Group will spend Rs 100 crore for both the properties, which are scheduled to open by the end of this year. The hotel in Bhubaneswar will have 35 rooms, while the Puri hotel will have 40 rooms. Recently, the Group has launched their first hotel in Cuttack named as Hotel Triple C.

According to Dr Biswajit Mohanty, Chairman, BRM Group, the Group will become a 120-key hotel chain by the end of 2011. … The Group also plans to go out of Orissa to destinations like Darjeeling, Goa, in future.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

Peerless Hotels is looking for land to set up four-star facilities in Bhubaneswar, Noida and Navi Mumbai, according to a senior official of the company.

“Our negotiations with the Orissa government for the Bhubaneswar project are at an advanced stage, and if we get the land that we have chosen, the construction of the 80-room hotel will start in another one year,” Peerless Hotels chief executive officer Kunal Sen said.

… “The setting up of a four-star hotel with 80-100 rooms entails an investment of between Rs 75 crore and Rs 95 crore, including land cost that may be between Rs 15 crore and Rs 35 crore depending on location,” Sen said.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

Topping the lists of the prospective investors is Gokul Agrawal of CTC Education Pvt Ltd who intends to invest Rs 6000 crore over five years in developing a 1000-acre knowledge city.

In the higher education sector, Silicon University of the Silicon Valley Group has proposed to set up its campus in the state at a cost of Rs 300 crore. Investments would also be pouring in for the state’s hospitality sector with the US-based Best Western Hotel lining up a Rs 100-crore investment plan for setting up a chain of properties at Bhubaneswar, Paradip, Chilka and Jharsuguda.

Land could become an issue with respect to the proposed knowledge city. A city/town/community that may want such a knowledge city which, I am told, would include multiple universities could offer help in the land part. They should of course first investigate if the group really has that much money and if their plan is for real.

Update: Following are excerpts from a report in Business Standard.

Astha International Limited, one of India’s leading direct selling companies based out of Surat (Gujarat), would invest Rs 5000 crore on a slew of business ventures in Orissa by the end of 2012.

The investment which is to be raised through a mix of debt and internal accruals as well as from its 4.5 lakh odd distributors across the country, will be made on developing an integrated township project called ‘Astha City’ near Berhampur, a star hotel in Puri and a textile mill in Bhubaneswar.

Besides, Astha International would set up a dairy production unit, a multiplex and a hyper mall in the city.

The company has opened an office in the city and this would serve as the zonal office for the states of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.

Together, all these projects will generate direct employment for over 10,000 people in the state.

All these projects are expected to be commissioned by the end of 2012.

"… The company would first begin with the integrated township project for which it has already identified around 200 acres of land near Berhampur.”

The company is betting big on the Orissa market which currently accounts for about 50 per cent of its overall revenues.

Astha International which has operations in 12 states of the country, clocked a revenue of Rs 300 crore in the last fiscal.

Out of 4.5 lakh distributors of the company, 1.5 lakh are based out of Orissa.

Astha International, which has more than 10,000 products in 26 different segments, also plans to float a bank called Astha Bank by 2011-12.

“We have already got the license of the Reserve Bank of India for starting banking operations and our bank will commence operations from 2011-12”, Chauhan claimed.

The website of this company is http://www.asthainternational.in/. In that site they mention an Astha city in Gujarat. Following is from Samaja.

Following is an excerpt from a report in hospitalitybizindia.com.

Kamat Hotels India Ltd (KHIL) which owns and operates hotels brands like The Orchid, VITS, Lotus Resorts and Gadh Hotels … has acquired the heritage palace ‘Mahodadhi Niwas’ in Puri and also the Eco Resort at Ramchandi, near the Sun Temple in Konark, in addition to the Parikud Palace and Rambha Palace, which are located near the Chilka Lake.

Of the three heritage properties acquired by KHIL, Mahodadhi Niwas opened for business on November 28, 2009. In the first phase, Mahodadhi offers 12 rooms and an additional 60 are expected to be developed over the next phase. KHIL is presently involved in restoring Parikud and Rambha Palaces, which will be commissioned in a phased manner in 2010.

… KHIL intends to strengthen the portfolio of its heritage brand – ‘Gadh Hotels’ in the state. We have already acquired three palaces from OTDC on a long-term lease and their restoration work is currently in progress.” As a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity, KHIL has also undertaken cleaning and conservation task of Chilka Lake.

KHIL’s F&B arm Kamat Restaurants Pvt Ltd (KRPL), which operates the ‘Vithal Kamat’ chain of vegetarian quick-service restaurants is also making inroads in to Orissa. KRPL has recently commissioned four company-owned outlets in Orissa, on the Bhubaneswar-Puri highway.

Following are two excerpts from reports in Pioneer, one about Radisson and another about a maize processing complex.

Tourist activity mostly centred in Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark, coupled with corporate houses and MNCs making a beeline to Odisha has made Assotech Group, a real estate developer, bring Radisson Hotels to Bhubaneswar, the leading upscale full service five-star hotel brand which will put Bhubaneswar on the global map of five star luxuries.

It is estimated that there is a current demand of around 1,000 rooms of five-star category hotel and 4,000 rooms of three-star category hotels in Bhubaneswar.

 

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Kolkata-based Four Star Export House LMJ International Ltd and National Niryat Award winner in 2009 having Rs 2,000 crore of agri export during 2008 has proposed to set up a maize processing complex in Nabarangpur district.

… LMJ International is likely to start the unit as early as December this year, subject to approvals by the authorities.

… An exclusive port for export of processed fruits and vegetables has also been proposed by the company.

The Chief Executive Officer of the company made the proposal at a meeting in Bhubaneswar … which was convened as a follow-up to the meeting of Agri Business Summit Agro Protech 2009 held in Kolkata …

 

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

Gurgaon-based real estate firm Vipul Limited, one of the leading real estate developers in the country, plans to invest Rs 80-100 crore in setting up a four-star business hotel in Bhubaneswar .

Vipul Limited had identified Bhubaneswar as one of the 5-6 strategic locations in the country where it intends to set up three-star and four-star business hotels.

Apart from Bhubaneswar, these business hotels are set to come up in the states of Punjab, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Each of these business hotels would cost Rs 80-100 crore.

“We have identified two to three plots of land in Bhubaneswar, including one close to the airport for setting up a four-star business hotel. "

The proposed hotel would come up on an area of 2-3 acres”, Punit Beriwala, managing director, Vipul Limited told Business Standard.

He declined to comment on the time-frame of setting up of the business hotel as the details were yet to be worked out.

Following is an excerpt from a report in hospitalitybizindia.com.

Kamat Hotels India Ltd (KHIL) is in the process of developing 600 additional rooms under ‘The Orchid’ brand across India. Presently, properties are under development in Nagpur, Coimbatore, Raipur and Konark. Upcoming properties will be set up at greenfield locations and will be entirely managed and operated under the KHIL banner.

“The Orchid brand will continue to grow through tier I and II locations across India. For KHIL’s premium brand, we plan to tap emerging markets for potential locations,” says Vishal Kamat, Director, KHIL to Hospitality Biz. KHIL will develop a 30 room all-suite hotel in Konark, Orissa and a 100 room hotel in Nagpur. The Coimbatore and Raipur properties are expected to come up with about 200 and 120 rooms, respectively. “KHIL has always positioned The Orchid as a business hotel and we are keen that we develop and manage hotels under this brand to maintain its exclusivity in the market. Unlike Concept Hospitality Ltd (CHL), which presently manages a few Orchid hotels in New Delhi, Kollam and Jalandhar, KHIL will not operate simply as a hotel management entity in the market,” clarifies Kamat.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

The State Bank of India (SBI), the largest bank in the country, has picked up 19.7 per cent equity in Orissa-based Mayfair Hotels and Resorts (MHRL) through a private equity (PE) deal.

The deal was for 37,33,333 shares with a face value of Rs 10 each. … As a result, the subscribed equity base of the company has increased to 1,89,33,333 shares from 1,52,00,000 shares previously. Post-deal, the promoters’ share will be 80 per cent.

… Dilip Ray, chairman and the managing director of MHRL, said. He said, the company plans to hit the capital market with an initial public offer (IPO) in about 24 to 36 months after utilisation of the proceeds of the 19.7 percent equity issued to SBI. The timing of the IPO will depend on the market condition. The group is in the process of executing a Rs 260-crore expansion plan. While the company intends to raise about Rs 124-150 crore from the proposed IPO, the borrowing component is likely to be about Rs 65 to 75 crore. The remaining funds will be mobilised in the form of internal accruals. The new 5-star deluxe property of Mayfair Gangtok, developed by a subsidiary, is expected to be commissioned by March 2009.

Meanwhile, the company has forayed into western India tourist circuit through acquisition of of an existing 32-room hotel at Betul Beach in Goa. This unit will be operational by September 2009 after refurbishment and upgradation to a 5-star boutique at an investment of about Rs 25 crore.

MHRL has been achieving an annual growth of 22 per cent for the past four years and has completed the expansion of its four operative properties at Bhubaneswar, Puri, Rourkela and Darjeeling by adding 52 rooms with additional facilities. Post-expansion, MHRL will have an inventory of 600 rooms spread over 12 properties in ten locations, sources said. It intends to add three properties at Puri (second unit), Cuttack and Chilika, which will add 134 rooms to the inventory. Since land for these projects are available, Cuttack and Puri properties are expected to be operational by June 2010. Similarly, Chilika property is expected to be operational by September 2010. The land acquisition for the Paradeep and Jharsuguda property will be taken up in 2011 and the entire process of expansion will be completed by June 2011, sources added.

The company achieved a turnover of Rs 48.5 crore in 2007-08 with a net profit of Rs 9.27 crore. Despite the slowdown, it hopes to achieve a turnover of Rs 60 crore in 2008-09 with expected net profit of Rs13 crore.

“Nowhere the slowdown has impacted our business. We have 100 per cent occupancy in our Bhubaneswar, Puri and Rourkela property,” Ray added.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

IMRS Hospitality Private Limited will spend approximately Rs 100 crore as a part of its expansion strategy to consolidate its position in the eastern region.

The company will set up five ’boutique hotels’ in the eastern region, with 40 rooms, offering facilities equivalent to a four star hotel.

Arindam Chokroborty, director of IMRS said, "We are looking at coming up with boutique hotels with 40 rooms in the eastern region with similar facilities that match the four star hotels. We have already started acquiring land in Rajarhat."

The projects have been lined up for West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa and the approximate investment incurred will be around Rs 20- Rs 25 crore each, and is expected to be operational by the second quarter of 2009-10.

Following is an excerpt from a report in hospitalitybizindia.com.

Swosti Group is redesigning two of its upcoming resorts according to chartered tourist requirements, since both properties were initially designed for individual and MICE segments. Puri’s Swosti Chandan Spa Resort and the company’s upcoming resort at Chilka, Orissa will undergo a number of redesigning and renovation processes as they target chartered segments (in large numbers), instead of regular tourists.

About this sudden change in plans, S Patnaik, General Manager, Swosti Group, told Hospitalitybiz, “We have experienced a sudden influx of MICE travellers in Bhubaneswar; this has resulted in many hospitality giants commissioning projects in the state capital. Similarly, other places in the state, especially Puri and Chilka, will be ideal to host chartered segments. Moreover, the segment’s favourite Indian destinations like Goa and Kerala are exceeding their carrying capacity; therefore, chartered operators are now looking for other options.”

The number of chartered flights to Puri is increasing from 180 to 250. Hence, Swosti Group is already in talks with leading chartered tour operators in India, who have exhibited an interest in the suggested places and upcoming properties. “Our Puri property was earlier designed with 70 rooms, but the inventory has been hiked to 100 rooms in favour of hosting chartered groups. The Chilka property, which has not been named as yet, will offer 50 cottages to start with, while it will be somewhat experimental with chartered tourists. The Chilka property will upgrade rapidly if it did well with the mentioned segment,” informed Patnaik. Slated to start operations in October 2008, both properties will take another few months to start. “The season for this segment (to visit India) is from October – March 2008,” added Patnaik. He added that even though the company will lose out on most of the season, it wishes to atleast begin catering to some chartered tourists.

On the other changes in terms of architect and design, Patnaik said that both properties will highlight their swimming pool as it is the biggest attraction for the chartered segment. The resorts will be equipped with bigger lawns and additional private areas as the segment does not appreciate external disturbance from other guests. “We are working on the properties’ sloping structures and the proximity of the pools and beaches from the resorts,” informed Patnaik.

…  We are inclining our properties towards chartered tourists as we will be able to provide them with the peace and serenity that they seek.” Swosti Group is also interested in presenting Buddhist tourism to this segment, in a new light.

Following is from a report in hospitalitybizindia.

Eleven hospitality majors like the Indian Hotels Company, ITC Welcomgroup, Dubai-based Emaar MGF, DLF, IHHR Hospitality, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, Goa-based VM Salgaonkar Bros Pvt Ltd, Unitech, Delhi-based Zoom Developers, Kolkata-based Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation and Mumbai-based Subha Hospitality have been selected by the Tourism Department of Orissa to convert Samukha Beach, the long virgin beach situated near the Konark Temple, into the biggest beach city of India.

The project was planned to be completed in two phases on a public private partnership (PPP) format in October 2007. The beach city will house five-star properties, golf courses, convention centres, handicrafts centres, art centres and conventions halls. It will also include special varieties of housing estates, social housings, condominiums, budget hotels and villas.

The Tourism Department inaugurated the commencement of the awaited hop-on and hop-off bus services, recently. Sasank Rath, Officer on Special Duty, Orissa Tourism said that the work for sizing of the lands is currently going on, while lands will be disbursed by the end of August 2008. The Tourism Department plans to invest Rs 2000-3000 Crore to build the whole project. The State Government will invest Rs100 Crore for infrastructure development. Work on the project is expected to start in August 2008 and it will take another 42 months for it to be completed.

 

Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

Aman Resorts, the internationally acclaimed chain of luxury hotels has decided to invest in Orissa.

A team of this Singapore-headquartered hotel chain today visited three possible locations between Pipili and Konark for setting up a resort in the state.

It visited locations like Khelar (near Pipili), Sarada (near Nimapada), Beruhan (near Konark). However, the exact location has not been finalised.

… Adrian Zecha, chairman of the group accompanied by the leading architect Karan Grover met the Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Tourism Minister Devi Prasad Misra.

They have sought about 45-50 acres in the rural sorroundings nearing Konark for their proposed resort project. …

Sources said, the group is looking for the rural hinterland having natural ambience. Positioned as a high ended hotel in the 7 star category, it is expected to attract high spending tourist to the state from foreign countries.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Times of India.

The ambitious plan of railways to set up about 100 budget hotels across the country, popularly known as Rail Ratna, has finally got a nod from the Railway Board. Twenty-two of these budget hotels are to be built in the first phase of work which is likely to be taken up soon.

… According to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) director Vinod Asthana, it has been decided to commercially exploit the vacant land of railways across the country. The ambitious budget hotel plan will yield good revenue to railways. IRCTC will go ahead with the plan as approved for the first phase of work, he said.

IRCTC MD Nalin Singhale said the proposed budget hotels will be built and developed on public-private partnership basis with a view to promoting tourism and providing full comfort to tourists.

IRCTC has already selected important places where these budget hotels are to be built. These places are Delhi, Varanasi, Ajmer, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Allahabad, Darjeeling, Sealdah, Lucknow, Mysore, Mumbai, Ooty, Puri, Amritsar, Shimla, Ujjain, Udaipur, Chandigarh, Kanyakumari, Pune, Nagpur and Agra, he said …

… According to sources, the budget hotel project is likely to yield about Rs 4,000 crore annually to railways on its completion. These hotels will be built on thousands of hectares of the vacant land leased out by the Railway Land Development Authority (RLDA). Railways have roped in reputed companies of the country to invest in such an ambitious project. Tenders have been finalised and awarded to successful bidders at 20 locations at the country level, sources said.

As per the approved plan, each budget hotel is to be developed on the pattern of plush hotels equipped with all modern facilities. IRCTC has already formulated policies with regard to budget hotels, a Railway Board official said.

… Sources said Railway Board is yet to approve the tariff for each room of the proposed budget hotels. Railways are likely to fix Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 for each plush room of such hotels per night. IRCTC proposes to provide its own quality catering services in these budget hotels.

Following is an excerpt from a report in hospitalitybizindia.com.

Orissa Stevedores Limited (OSL), Hospitality Division plans to update its Bhubaneswar property, The Triumph Residency, to keep pace with the growing competition. Triumph Residency will go through a complete makeover in terms of interiors, rooms and public areas (lobby, bar and restaurants) as well as in terms of the power backup. The renovation process, which will last for a period of seven to eight months, is due to take off in mid-April 2008.

Speaking to Hospitality Biz, Dinesh Kumar, General Manager, OSL, Hospitality Division, said, “Over the past couple of years, the influx of business travellers to Bhubaneswar has gone up to 100 per cent due to various reasons like industrial congestion and high Average Rooms Rates (ARR) in the metros”.

Bhubaneswar has become well connected lately, which has led to an increase in the meetings and conferences held in the city. “The competition has also shot high, as the existing properties like Swosti Plaza and Mayfair are in the process of adding their room inventories. Alongside this, hospitality majors like Radisson, Sarovar Group of Hotels and Best Western Group of Hotels are coming up with their properties,” Kumar said. Ginger Hotels and Hotel Hindustan International are also coming up with hotels in the city with an inventory of 100 rooms.

Triumph Residency plans to add seven more rooms. The hotel will be operational during the renovation period. “With this revamp, we plan to target the high-end business travellers. We foresee ourselves to be at par with properties like Mayfair and Trident. Occupancy is expected to shoot up by at least 30-40 per cent, along with a doubling of ARR,” Kumar added.

Also under consideration at OSL is the possibility to create its own hospitality brand or to rope in any international hospitality major to brand all of its properties. The group is coming up with a 40-room property in Puri. … The property, which is under construction currently, is slated to be operational by the end of 2008.

OSL also plans to build a high-end flagship property at Chandaka, a place in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. “We have already bought the land. We intend to make this 150-key five star property the best in eastern India,” informs Kumar.

Following is an excerpt from travelbizmonitor.com.

Orissa Stevados Ltd (OSL) [? http://www.orissastevedores.com/] plans to bring more hotels into Eastern India, under the brand names Country Inn & Suites (CIS) and Radisson. After its five star properties in Paradeep, Bhubaneswar and Orissa, the group is now taking up projects in Kolkata, Puri, Bhubaneswar, Gopalpur and Guwahati.

On the Kolkata project, Suvodip Rai Choudhury, Manager, Sales and Marketing, OSL, comments, "A twin property is coming up at Rajarhat, Kolkata by the end of 2009. Two five star hotels will be accommodated here in the same complex. …"

OSL is also associated with the first state-of-the-art 50 room hotel in Puri, which is expected to be operational by 2009. The 80 room property in Bhubaneswar and 75 room Gopalpur property are slated to start in 2010. The group is yet to decide on the affiliations of the Bhubaneswar and Puri properties (from CIS or Radisson).

On the projects in Orissa, Choudhury claims that the company is getting far better responses in this state. The hospitality scenario is changing fast with adequate support from the ministry. … OSL employs Country Development Management Service (CDMS) for both operational and management purposes in these properties. On the challenges faced, Rai Choudhury says, "Acquiring quality staff poses as the greatest problem. Moreover, most of our properties have been classified as four star properties despite having all the possible facilities. This is because they do not meet the requisite number of rooms for a five star rating."

Update on March 25 2009: Pioneer reports:

The Sarovar Hotels and Resorts announced the signing of a hotel in the 4-5-star category at the Sarovar Premiere here. The hotel with 150 guest rooms and all modern services and facilities will be located at Nayapalli. Commenting on the signing, hotel’s managing director Anil Madhok said, “With the increase in the number of business and leisure travellers in the city, we are pleased to offer accommodation of international quality for them.” The hotel will have five star services, multiple dining options, extensive meeting and banquet areas as well as a health club and spa.

Following is an excerpt from a news report in dnaindia.com.

Gurgaon-based Vipul Infrastructure Group is set to board the hospitality train. The company’s hotels division, Vipul Hospitality, has signed a memorandum of understanding with leading operator Sarovar Hotels and Resorts to open five new hotels, to start with.

Vipul Hospitality will invest and own the hotels, while Sarovar will provide technical assistance right from inception to completion besides managing and marketing the hotel operations.

The overall investment in the initial five projects is estimated at over Rs 500 crore.

Ajay K Bakaya, executive director, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts told DNA Money that a number of these hotel projects will also have retailing component.

“Out of the five sites being identified jointly, at least four will be mall-o-tels. Going forward, we will be working together with the realty partners in identifying more locations. All the current and future projects will be operated and managed under Sarovar’s bouquet of brands,” said Bakaya.

The upcoming hotels in Amritsar, Bhubaneswar and Raipur will be branded under Sarovar Premiere, the Mohali property will be a Sarovar Portico and the one in Siliguri will be branded as Park Inn.

Each hotel will have a room inventory of 100-150 rooms in addition to food and beverage, banqueting and conferencing facilities.

One of the pioneers in the Indian mid-market hospitality segment, Sarovar Hotels has grown rapidly since its first hotel opened in 1994.

The hospitality company currently manages 35 hotels across the country under the brands Sarovar Premiere, Sarovar Portico and Hometel, besides Park Plaza and Park Inn, which are operated under master franchise pact with Carlson Hospitality for India.

Following is an excerpt from a news report in New Indian Express.

Giving safety and passenger comfort the utmost priority, the regional office of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has rolled out well-knit packages for pilgrims and holiday-makers for the first time to major tourist places in the country.

… The new packages, however, do not include ghat sections. Nonetheless IRCTC has left no room for complaints. ‘‘We have even posted a manager who would look into the wellbeing of the people round the clock,’’ he said.

The packages include a week-long tour to North covering New Delhi, Jammu, Haridwar and Risikesh. The cost per adult has been fixed at Rs 11,800. Similarly, the ‘explore Rajasthan’ tour package, taking travellers to all known places, has been priced at Rs 17,050. They include expenses like on and off board catering, board and travelling.

Optimum return of the money spent would be the USP of the plans. The third package called ‘ Southern Splendours I and II — covering places like Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty and Hassan among others — would cost between Rs 10,250 and Rs 10,650.

In the ensuing months, IRCTC would also offer travel plans to Madurai , Rameswaram and Kanyakumari. Likewise, tour packages to Darjelling , Gangtok and Peling are also on the cards. It is also contemplating to offer customised packages.

Meanwhile, IRCTC’s budget hotel project in Bhubaneswar would start soon, having received nod from the State Government. It will come up in front of the Railway station. IRCTC has also acquired about five acres at Bhabakundaleswar near Satapada at Chilika Lake for a similar project.

Mohanty said, plans for the budget hotels in Cuttack, Puri and Visakhapatnam are awaiting the Railway Board’s clearance.

New Indian Express reports on this.

Following is an excerpt from a Pioneer report.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has decided to open a hotel at the river mouth at Chilika Lake. The corporation has identified a patch of 500 acres required to set up the resort to which the State Government has agreed, according to official sources. Earlier local hospitality groups like Mayfair, Holiday Resort and Marrion had procured land to set up hotels, near the proposed project site of IRCTC. The river mouth of Chilika Lake is situated in Babhukundeswar in Puri district. Notably, Chilika is spread over a area of 11,000 sq km in Puri, Khurda and Ganjam district and is India’s largest lake , which attracts huge number of tourists and also birds.