'Tent City' project being revived for Varanasi

Varanasi, April 28 In October when the monsoon season recedes, tourists coming to Varanasi will witness a new attraction a 'Tent City' on the lines of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.

The Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) is reviving a proposal to set up a 'Tent City' on the sandy bed of river Ganga on the opposite side of the ghats in the holy city.

"The 'Tent City' will enable its guests to enjoy the beauty of the mythological Kashi ghats both during day and night. While it is aimed at reducing the load on hotels, which opt for dynamic pricing due to increased footfall of pilgrims after the revamped Kashi Vishwanath Dham opened in December, it will also be an attraction for the locals by giving them an opportunity to get feel of the Rann Utsav of Kutch and Konark Tent City," said Deepak Agrawal, divisional commissioner and VDA chairman.

The proposal however, is not exactly new.

Last year, a team of officials had visited the Konark nature camps in Odisha on the instructions of Agrawal to collect details, ranging from setting up the camps or tented accommodations and their management.

They submitted a detailed report.

It was decided that the 'Tent City' would be set up in October and will stay for three to five months, after which it will be dismantled and then reassembled the following year.

It will come up along a 5-km stretch of the river on the lines of the nature camps at Konark, according to officials.

The tourism department officials had already been asked to prepare the DPR (detailed project report) of the 'Tent City' and several rounds of meetings have been held.

"Apart from providing more accommodation and a new experience for tourists, the project will also generate employment for the local people," said an official.