Tourist spots in Ernakulam maintained by District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) will receive a facelift on the basis of a master plan in the coming days. This comes against the backdrop of complaints received of the poor maintenance of prime spots across the city.
An example is the Durbar Hall Ground walkway, which resembles an obstacle course, because of slack upkeep. Tiles at many places on the walkway have collapsed or are missing, posing danger to visitors, especially children. Many corners of the ground are not well lit, making them a haven for anti-socials.
The DTPC also received flak for inadequate marketing of locales that were developed using Central and State tourism funds. “A recent governing committee meeting of DTPC decided to go in for a comprehensive revamp of locales to attract more guests,” said Vijayakumar S., general manager (projects and administration) of the Council.
It was District Collector M.G. Rajamanickam, in his capacity as DTPC chairman who suggested a long-term master plan, with participation from different stakeholders. Aimed at fine-tuning the details, DTPC plans to host a workshop in which people’s representatives and heads of agencies will air their views.
The State government has accorded administrative sanction for a Rs. 5-crore project to renovate Royal Musical Walkway at Marine Drive. Similarly, Rs 80 lakh has been earmarked for building Kadambrayar bridge. Next in line would be beautification of Aluva town, since the town would be the gateway to the Kochi Metro by 2016. DTPC has also envisaged an international convention centre or an international sports resort at Ramanthuruth island, as suggested by Charles Dias, MP. DTPC might also renovate the cottages owned by Irrigation Department at Bhoothathankettu.
Mr. Rajamanickam is learnt to have suggested an international beach fest at Fort Kochi, on the lines of Thrissur Pooram and Nehru Trophy Boat Race. ‘Aahara’ - a multi-ethnic food fest with participation of different communities in Mattancherry and Fort Kochi, too, is on the cards.
The governing committee approved a draft budget for the fiscal, having Rs 1.03 crore as income and Rs 80.50 lakh as expense.
