Pookode lake, a major tourism destination in Wayanad district, will soon lose that tag if tourists continue to be denied facilities.
Dilapidated garden benches, broken pavements around the lake, damaged boats kept ashore, a heap of worn-out life jackets on the landing station and a long queue of frustrated visitors waiting for their turn for boating — these are the scenes awaiting a visitor to the site run by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC).
Though the DTPC collects an average of Rs.1 lakh every day from the site, the authorities are lax in providing even basic infrastructure, a temporary employee of the DTPC said. The DTPC register says 9,23,391 tourists visited the lake in 2014-15 fiscal as against 7,45,962 visitors during the corresponding period the previous fiscal. The tourists come to the spot primarily to enjoy the serenity of the freshwater lake spread over 13.5 acres amid lush greenery.
“Boating is a major attraction, and at least 40 boats are needed to cater the demands of tourists,” the employee added. Five years ago, there were 44 boats, including 25 pedal boats and 19 row boats. Now the number has dwindled to 14 — four row boats and 10 pedal boats, K. Rajan, a local person, said. The number of tourists, on the other hand, has gone up and many are denied a chance at boating, he added.
The DTPC had constructed a toilet block for the tourists a decade ago. But the tourists were not able to use it because of its poor maintenance, he said.
