Yarlung Zangbo development involves no relocation: senior official- People's Daily Online

Yarlung Zangbo development involves no relocation: senior official

08:32, March 10, 2011

Padma Choling, chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region said that no relocation was involved in the development of the Yarlung Zangbo River on Mar.7, Tibet Delegation's Open Day during the Fourth Session of the 11th Nation People's Congress (NPC).

The Yarlung Zangbo River is known as the mother river of the Tibetan people, and it is sung in almost every Tibetan song, said Padma Choling, also a NPC deputy.

Padma Choling said: "In recent years, no other construction project has been done along the river, except a 510,000-KW power plant in the midstream. None of the local households needs to move since the plant is in a valley."

Concerns over the tourism development in Tibet has also increased as Tibet has received more tourists to visit Mount Qomolangma, the Potala Palace and other scenic spots with the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet railway.

"Eco-protection is as important as tourism development," said Padma Choling. "Booklets on environment protection are distributed on the train so as to remind tourists of caring for themselves as well as the local environment on the plateau."

In the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), Tibet will integrate cultural and ecological protection into the overall tourism development plan and develop Tibet into a global travel destination. The region aims to double the figure of tourists and tourist revenue by the end of 2015 over the figures in 2010, Padma Choling stated.

From: China Tibet Online

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