Gujarat Tourism to provide amenities at highway petrol pumps of IOC

AHMEDABAD: Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) will set up amenities for tourists at 50 petrol pumps of Indian Oil Corporation on various highways of the state with an investment of Rs 40 crore, said a top TCGL official. Tourism official believe that 80% of tourists visiting Gujarat come by roads. The amenities centres developed will be given to organized food chain companies for operation on third party basis.

TCGL will develop these amenities like food courts, kiosks and toilets at IOCL petrol pumps. The amenities will be given to organized food chains for operations. The restaurants will also have logos of IOC and TCGL on it. “Close to 80% of tourists use road to reach at Tourism places in Gujarat. So creating amenities on national and state highways is very necessary,” state Tourism secretary Vipul Mitra told ET.

An agreement was signed between TCGL and IOCL on Thursday in Gandhinagar. Three categories of amenities centre will be created over an area of 4,000 square metre, 2,000 square metre and 1,000 square metre. “We have identified 50 petrol pumps on the basis of availability of space and inflow of tourists,” said S K Diwan, executive director of IOCL.

The first outlet will be operationalised in six months, while the rest will be commissioned in a year.