The Hindu : Kerala News : Solve conflicts, Karim tells managers

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Kerala

Solve conflicts, Karim tells managers

Special Correspondent

Concern over protests against implementation of development projects in the State

Traditional start: Industries Minister Elamaram Karim inaugurating a workshop on responsible tourism, organised by the Calicut Management Association, in Kozhikode on Saturday.

KOZHIKODE: Roads will be developed to improve connectivity between tourist centres, Industries Minister Elamaram Karim has said.

He was inaugurating a one-day workshop on the ‘Potential of responsible tourism with emphasis on health, art and culture — the way ahead’ organised by the Calicut Management Association (CMA) at Malabar Palace here on Saturday.

Organisations of professional managers should play a proactive role in settling conflicts over development projects, he said. The government’s efforts to develop the tourism sector by building roads and providing other infrastructure were getting stalled by protests, Minister said.

Uninformed protests by local people were being amplified by the media. This is slowing down the execution of developmental schemes including road development, Mr. Karim said.

The laying of a road to the knowledge city at KDIC growth centre at Kinalur and opposition to a mining project were examples of uninformed protests, he said. The objections were often unfounded and unreasonable and it is unfortunate that the media is highlighting these without checking the facts, the Minister said.

There would be a string of tourist centres in north Kerala shortly. The sector had shown a growth of 12 per cent despite the global economic slump, the Minister added.

Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry president E.M. Najeeb, in a presentation, said tourism had helped change the impression abroad that the State had a militant labour force. The sector had also emerged as a major employer by overtaking the IT sector.

He was confident that Bakel would be a major tourist centre soon. About 1,000 were being constructed there, he said.

Banks were reluctant to support investments in tourism. More investments in infrastructure were urgently needed. There was a shortage of nearly 25,000 hotel rooms in the State, Mr. Najeeb said.

P. Zakeer, president, CMA; Roshan Kynadi, vice-president; A. Pradeep Kumar, MLA, and T.R. Sivadas, chairman, Centre for Tourism, CMA; also spoke at the workshop.

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