Gurgaon, Feb 10 (IANS) New Delhi’s suburb Gurgaon is not leaving any stone unturned to attract tourists during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The latest initiative is to develop the farm house of former prime minister Chandra Shekhar at Bhondsi village into a tourist destination.
The existing main building known as ‘Bharat Yatra Kendra’ would be developed as a guest house to be used by tourists, a Haryana government official told IANS Wednesday.

The entire 588 acres of land was handed over to the forest department for a period of 15 years. It was declared a forest reserve by the government and its ownership vests with the Bhondsi Gram Panchayat.

“The development work will be carried out by the panchayat, the development department, and the forest and environment department in collaboration with Haryana Tourism. In the first phase, the repair of existing buildings and structures at the Kendra will be taken up,” the official said.

The ponds and lakes in the complex would be desilted and filled with water to cater to the needs of animals and birds there, besides recharging the water table. A detailed project would be prepared, giving emphasis to the requirements of tourists.

The village forest committee would monitor the development works.

“The tourists should get a glimpse of Haryanvi culture at the Kendra. It will also be connected with Damdama Lake and we will improve its connectivity to the millennium city. For this, a survey will be conducted,” the official added.