GURGAON: Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has revealed ambitious plans to turn areas off the Western Peripheral (KMP) Expressway into tourist hotspots, including the possibility of hosting India’s Disneyland amusement park.
According to Saini, the government has identified 500 acres of land in Manesar close to Pachgaon Chowk for the project and is in discussions with Disney representatives. The chief minister stated that a Disneyland in the National Capital Region would be “game-changing” following a meeting with Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Delhi on Wednesday.
He said the entertainment hub will bring economic, cultural and social benefits, not only to the state, but the country too. “The project will generate thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities and bring major changes to the area. It will attract international tourists too,” Saini said.
He claimed that Gurgaon was picked as the park’s location since the NCR city is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies and provides the majority of the state’s income.Another significant event for the area will be the forthcoming Global City project in Gurgaon.
Gurgaon is hence the ideal site for Disneyland. The Manesar property is ideally situated along the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) and KMP Expressway. Visitors from all around the NCR can come with ease,” Saini stated. The state government intends to construct a 1,000-acre mini-city called Global City across sectors 36, 36B, 37, and 37B.
All facilities and services would be conveniently accessible, and the project will be built on a walk-to-work concept in addition to having connections to the Delhi-Gurgaon and Dwarka expressways.
In addition, the Haryana government intends to have three melas in Surajkund each year rather than just one, and to increase the size of the International Gita Mahotsav, which is held annually in Kurukshetra.
“Considering the popularity of the Surajkund Mela, govt is planning to organise a Diwali mela and a book fair at Surajkund as well… We have also sought support from the Union tourism ministry and the central govt to organise Gita Mahotsav on a grand scale,” he said.
The CM added, “Together, these projects will firmly establish Haryana as a tourism hub.”
If it go forward, Disneyland will be the first to be constructed in partnership with the Indian animation behemoth.
The Maharashtra government had earlier in February revealed plans to create a Disneyland-themed park in Navi Mumbai.
The plan to build a Disneyland in Gurgaon was first put out by then-Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala in 1989, but it was ultimately scrapped due to opposition from other political parties and farmers whose property would need to be purchased.
Abhay Singh Chautala, the national president of INLD, stated on Thursday that the BJP needs to provide an explanation for its shift in position over the establishment of a Disneyland in the city. “BJP was supporting INLD govt in 1989 but it sided with Congress to oppose the project back then,” Abhay stated.
