The Hindu : Nine work schemes approved for Kumbalanghi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Kochi

Nine work schemes approved for Kumbalanghi

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI DEC. 9. Nine projects were approved today at a review meeting for the Rs. 1.5-crore Kumbalanghi model village project, taken up by the Department of Tourism.

The meeting, presided over by the Minister for Tourism and Fisheries, K.V. Thomas, was held at the Guest House here to finalise the details of the projects to be implemented.

The projects approved were selected on priority basis from among the presentations made by members of the panchayat.

The meeting was attended by Dominic Presentation, MLA, the Tourism secretary, T. Balakrishnan, the district panchayat president, K.B. Mohammedkutty, the tourism project manager, K. Muralee Menon, and the panchayat president, M.P. Sivadathan, among others.

It was decided at the meeting that the Department of Tourism would release Rs. 26 lakhs for sanitation work, Rs. 25 lakhs for beautification of a gateway, Rs. 30 lakhs for building walkways through the inland region where there are no roads, Rs. 25 lakhs for solid waste disposal, Rs. 14 lakhs for repairing and maintaining two main boat jetties and smaller ones for tourism purposes, Rs. 10 lakhs for installing lights and Rs. 4.75 lakhs for installing signages during this financial year. The department will also provide Rs. 10 lakhs to support the dredging work on the Kallancheri canal, taken up by Agency for Development of Aquaculture, Kerala, at an estimated cost of Rs. 26 lakhs, and Rs. 25,000 for conducting a survey on `nattu thodu', the minor water channels in the village. The survey to deepen and widen the channels will be done by the Harbour Engineering Department.

The department will construct two `pay-and-use' toilets at Ezhupunna ferry and Keltron ferry and the Minister has promised to sanction the funds for completing the road repairing work from the next budget allocation, said Mr. Sivadathan.

All the projects will be implemented during this financial year itself, and the design for the `kalagramam' proposed to be constructed on the artificial island to be created inside the Kallancheri fish pond was approved, said the project manager, Dr. Menon.

Talking to the media after the meeting, the Minister said that the `kalagramam' would be taken up in the next financial year. Three committees were also formed for the execution of the project. The advisory committee will have Mr. Dominic Presentation as chairman and will include Sebastian Paul, MP, the District Collector, the Joint Director of Tourism, the project manager and the panchayat president. The implementation committee will comprise panchayat members and there would also be a core committee.

A team of panchayat members will visit the artists' village in Hyderabad during January and a trip to Bangkok would also be considered, the Minister said.

Inauguration of project

The project will be formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, on December 23. The member of the Union Planning Commission, Som Pal, will be the chief guest and the Minister for Local Administration, Cherkalam Abdulla, will inaugurate `Kerasree', the coconut oil brand brought out by Kudumbasree units.

A website on the Kumbalanghi tourism project and brochures will also be released on the occasion. The four tour packages prepared by the project team and boating facilities with private participation will also be inaugurated.

A three-day cultural festival will be held as the first programme. The festival, to be held at Kallancheri on December 26, 27 and 28, will showcase traditional fishing tools, an exhibition of fish varieties, a food festival and an exhibition of Kudumbasree products.

Kochi Corporation's proposals

The Minister also held discussion with the Kochi Mayor, C.M. Dinesh Mani, regarding three tourism projects submitted by the Kochi Corporation. These include a Rs. 1.5-crore project for the beautification of Broadway, a Rs. 7.5-crore project for development of the market and another Rs. 7.5-crore project for the development of canals in West Kochi.

The project for beautification of Broadway has been prepared by the Corporation and this includes banning parking on the street and development of the pathway, said Mr. Mani. The proposal will be examined by experts at the Department of Tourism. The execution of the project will be undertaken by the Corporation, Mr. Thomas said.

The development of canals in West Kochi will be taken up in connection with the ongoing heritage conservation project by the Department of Tourism, the details of which will be prepared by National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC), the Minister said.

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