The Hindu : Kerala News : Chandy inaugurates work on Bekal hotels

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 29, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Chandy inaugurates work on Bekal hotels

By Our Staff Reporter

BEKAL FORT (KASARAGOD), OCT. 28. Only result-oriented development activities implemented in a time-bound manner will be successful, the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, has said.

He was inaugurating work on the three five-star deluxe hotels coming up as part of the Bekal Resorts Development Project (BRDC).

"I am proud to be here, but not happy as I feel this should have happened five years ago. Time is the most precious thing in development. But unfortunately, delay has been crippling development activities in the State. The only exception was the Nedumbaserry airport project," the Chief Minister said.

Owing to the efforts made by the Tourism Minister, K.C. Venugopal, this eco-friendly tourism promotion project had been included as one to be kicked off in the UDF Government's 100-day action plan, he said.

"The representatives of the hotel groups have promised me that the projects will be commissioned in 15 to 17 months. I promise to extend them all Government assistance," he said.

Guarantees jobs

Tourism was one of the major sectors that would not only boost the State's economy, but also guarantee jobs to uneducated youth.

Although the Government was committed to bringing in more funds from private investors, it would not be done at the cost of the interests of the State and its people, Mr. Chandy said. Referring to the delay alleged in shifting the district hospital to its new premises at Chemmattumvayal near Kanhangad, the Chief Minister said that all arrangements would be made to post medical staff and provide infrastructure facilities at the new hospital complex. "I will inaugurate it when I visit the district to attend the mass contact programme on November 30," Mr. Chandy said.

Coastal road

A new officer would be assigned the task of acquiring land for development purposes. That would take care of land acquisition required for the development of the 27-km Kanhangad-Kasaragod coastal road, the Chief Minister said.

The Government would consider the proposal to establish an Institute for Hotel Management Studies at Bekal. The institution would go a long way in providing professionals required at Bekal and other tourist destinations, he added.

Earlier, delivering his presidential address, the Tourism Minister said that funds to complete the water supply schemes, a project of the BRDC, had been allotted.

The scheme, which would be beneficial to residents of four panchayats in and around Bekal, would be commissioned as soon as the work of the water tanks was complete, he said.

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