Tourism Dept asked to appoint technical architect for Junnar

Pune: The district administration has asked the State Tourism Department to appoint a technical architect to study Junnar taluka, which has been declared as a ‘special tourism zone’ by the State government. The decision was taken in March 2018 to boost employment opportunities for the locals in the area. The State government has also directed the Tourism Department to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the same.
 
The taluka is famous for two Ashtavinayak temples - Girijatmak temple near Lenyadri and Vighneshwar temple in Ozar. Junnar is also famous for Shivneri fort, Shivaji Maharaj’s birthplace, and seven other historical forts and over 350 caves. Apart from this, the taluka has several natural ghats like Naneghat, Daryaghat and Aneghat. 

The taluka will be designed as a model taluka. The DPR would contain details of resorts and museums, which will come up in the area.

Speaking about the ongoing development of the project, District Collector Naval Kishore Ram said, “We have asked the Tourism Department to appoint a technical architect to study the place in detail. Junnar holds a lot of importance in Pune district. The Architect and Tourism Department will let us know the various possibilities of how Junnar can be designed as a special tourism zone.”

An official from the State Tourism Department said that the department is working on the directives of the collector. “As various departments are stakeholders in the process, we need to keep all officials in the loop while developing the place. We are in touch with the Forest Department, Public Works Department, Archaeology Department, local panchayats and district administration for the development of the project,” added the official.