Kodagu: “Keeping in mind the Malnad districts such as Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Kodagu, Hassan, Uttara Kannada, including Belagavi, the state government has decided to design a plan for tourism in the Western Ghats,” said state tourism minister C T Ravi.
Speaking to the media here on Thursday, September 12, at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, he said, “For districts like Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu, a separate tourism plan will be designed. Eco-friendly and scientific tourism initiatives will be implemented in the districts in the Western Ghats region.”
Stressing on the importance of Kodagu tourism, Ravi said, “We need to give importance to eco-friendly and sustainable tourism.”
Emphasizing on the basic infrastructural facilities in the tourist spots, he said, “It is very important for infrastructural facilities such as toilets, drinking water, road connectivity etc, to be developed and maintained. Pertaining to this, we will direct the concerned officials to discuss about the maintenance with the nearby residents and submit a memorandum to the government.”
He then directed the officials to complete works such as identifying and listing tourist spots, gathering information about different works related to the tourism department and Kannada and Culture department and complete the pending projects such as the Kodava Heritage Centre building construction and the Kannada and Culture Bhavan.
The minister also directed the officials to issue taxi licenses to those who are eligible, and submit a report on other demands.
Meanwhile, members of the Kodagu Tourism Association submitted a memorandum requesting various tourism-related demands to be fulfilled along with employment opportunities for the local youths.
