The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : German delegation sees scope for ties with State

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Thursday, Feb 07, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

German delegation sees scope for ties with State

‘This is a paradise. You should
protect it.’

Joseph Ph. Winkler, who headed the team.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Members of the Indo-German Parliamentary Friendship Group of Bundestag (German Parliament), here on a visit to Kerala, feel that there is considerable scope for business collaboration between Kerala and Germany in sectors such as in waste management, infrastructure development, information technology and tourism.

German tourists will be interested in visiting Kerala if the State keeps its environment clean, they said, and highlighted the wastewater purification and other technologies available with German industries.

Joseph Ph. Winkler, who headed the delegation, told The Hindu that low-cost technologies were available in Germany for generation of electricity from municipal waste. Though they might not be commercially profitable, they could yield considerable energy (and eliminate waste).

Environment counts

The Bundestag member, who belongs to the Green Party, said that tourism potential of Kerala was immense, but the State should maintain quality environment. It should go for high-end tourism which would not result in tourists polluting the environment.

If tourists polluted the environment in Kerala, non-governmental organisations in Germany would raise their voice against tourists going to Kerala.

The Malayali link

Mr. Winkler, whose mother hails from Kuravilangad near Kottayam (his grandparents still live there), said that he did not face any problem in career because of his ethnic looks. “If you have a German dialect and accent, you are accepted.”

He added that some others had problems because they could not stand up rhetorically. Education was the key. The opposition he faced was on account of his political views. He had no problems at school, college or hospital. About 80 per cent of Germany was safe for foreigners and women. Neo-Nazis could create trouble only in some parts of East Germany.

He said that in 20 years from now 60 per cent of the children in Berlin would be either foreigners or those born to foreigners in Germany. They could not be discriminated against as that would lead to problems.

Johannes Singhammer, spokesman of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Woman and Youth of ruling coalition in Germany, said that they would arrange for youth exchanges between India and Germany.

Team members said Germans would be interested in rejuvenation therapies in Ayurveda in Kerala. On Kerala they said: “It is a paradise here. You should protect it.”

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