The Ministry of Shipping has taken up an ambitious plan to develop lighthouses dotting India’s vast coastline as new beacons of tourism. “All over the world lighthouses enthrall tourists with their scenic and serene surroundings and rich maritime heritage. In India there is a vast tourism potential, which has largely remained untapped”, said the minister for shipping, Nitin Gadkari while addressing the Investors Summit on Development of Lighthouses as Beacons of Tourism in Mumbai. Gadkari said India has as many as 189 lighthouses and the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL), Noida, has drawn up a plan to develop 78 of them as tourist attractions under Public-Private Partnership. Such identified lighthouses are in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Nine lighthouses from Maharashtra and Goa – located at Sunk Rock, Kanhoji Island, Uttan Point, Korlai Fort, Jaigadh, Ratnagiri, Devgadh, Vengurla Rocks, Tolkeshwar Point, Fort Aguada and Sao George are part of the lighthouse development project. Gadkari said the Shipping Ministry has already held road shows in Chennai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam and the outcome has been very encouraging, with 236 potential investors participating in them. The minister said there have been some concerns expressed by investors, especially with respect to Coastal Regulation Zone clearance, security clearance, support from Ministry of Shipping in the form of subsidy etc. Gadkari admitted that there would be some road blocks while implementing this ambitious projects, but asserted that the government’s attitude will remain positive.