Kerala   

Rs.3 crore for eco-tourism projects

— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

COMMUNING WITH NATURE: A bamboo raft introduced for tourists at the newly inaugurated Janakikad eco-tourism centre near Kuttiyadi in Kozhikode district. Coracle riding, bird-watching, and trekking facilities are available for tourists at the eco-tourism centre.

JANAKIKAD (KUTTIYADI): Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said that the State government will spend Rs. 3 crore on eco-tourism projects in the State this year.

The Minister was inaugurating an eco-tourism centre here, in Marothongara grama panchayat limits, 7 km from Kuttiyadi.

He said the government had decided to set up eco-tourism projects in 75 places. Work had started in 47 places. Nineteen projects, including the one here, had been completed.

He said eco-tourism projects would be started at Peruvannamozhi and Kakkayam, apart from Thusharagiri, in the district. The government would focus on tourism development of Malabar. It was spending nearly 50 per cent of the funds earmarked for tourism on projects in the region. Entrepreneurs investing in the tourism sector in Malabar would be provided 15 per cent subsidy. There were many unexplored areas suitable for tourism projects in the region.

He said the Tourism Department would join hands with the departments of Forest, Environment, Water Resources, Fisheries and Health and the Kerala State Electricity Board to set up tourist projects. The government recently introduced health and hydel tourism. The monsoon tourism package had got wide recognition. With its introduction, tourist flow continued throughout the year with no off-season.

He said the State had been placed in the 10th position in international tourism. There had been an increase of 10 per cent in the arrival of tourists in the State. The number of foreign tourists was five lakh and domestic tourists 65 lakh last year. The government had introduced a new project for increasing infrastructure for tourists.

The Minister said there was a wide-spread notion that tourism was necessary only for the rich. The government had tried to dispel this notion. Its policy was to introduce people’s tourism.

He said financial aid would be provided to tourism clubs in higher secondary schools. He said possibilities for getting three more acres of land for developing further the eco-tourism project here would be explored. If not available, land would be bought at a fair price. The centre was designed to make use of 131 hectares of scenic land on the banks of the Kuttiyadi river without causing any disturbance to the environment. It would have educative and entertainment value.

Visitors would have facilities for trekking, rafting, bird-watching, butterfly tracking and bathing in the river. The Forest Department was implementing the project, in association with the Janakikad Forest Protection Committee.

Forests Minister Benoy Viswom, who presided, stressed the need for developing more eco-tourism projects without harming the natural beauty. Mr. Viswom announced free entrance for students to the Janakikad eco-tourism centre for six months. P. Sathidevi, MP, was chief guest. K.K. Lalitha and K. Kunhahamed, MLAs; K.P. Kunahamedkutty, district panchayat president; and N.K. Indira, president, Marothongara grama panchayat; spoke. A. Sathyanathan, Divisional Forest Officer, Kozhikode, presented the report.

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