Tourism conservation zone for Varkala

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 26. The Government would soon chalk out a masterplan for the development of tourism at Varkala and create a tourism conservation zone covering Sivagiri, the Janaradhana Swamy Temple and the stretch extending from the Papanasam to the Kappil beaches.

"The masterplan will be implemented in a phased manner and the creation of zone will help the municipal authorities to check illegal constructions," the Tourism Minister, Prof. K.V. Thomas, told reporters at Varkala after visiting over half a dozen tourist spots of this emerging destination along with the local legislator, Mr. Varkala Kahar, and top district and tourism officials today.

The Minister said he will take up with the National Waterways Authority during his next visit to Delhi the steps to make Varkala Tunnel and TS Canal navigable for the movement of country boats along the stretch as part of promoting backwater tourism.

Utilising Central assistance to the tune of Rs. 50 lakhs, a Facilitation Centre and an Authentic Ayurvedic Centre will be set up on the premises of the Nature Cure Centre located near the helipad atop the Varkala cliff, he said.

Steps will be taken to maintain and protect the nearly 80-foot high laterite cliff facing the Papanasam beach, open a cloakroom on the Papanasam beach for providing better facilities for the tourists and increase the number of Tourism Police personnel and life guards on the Papanasam and Kappil beaches, he said.

To a query on the proliferation of Ayurvedic centres, the Minister said instructions have been given to ensure that the guidelines are strictly followed while giving licences.

Prof. Thomas said the Government also had plans to promote backwater tourism along the Kappil beach to Ponninthurthu stretch, near Varkala. The Rs. 15-lakh modern equipment purchased by the Department of Tourism for promoting adventure sports at the hill station of Munnar will be shifted to the Kappil beach.

The Tourism Minister also announced that the five acres of land, under the possession of the Fisheries Department, at Odayam near Kappil, will be developed as a tourist spot.

The department had earlier proposed to set up a hatchery with assistance from Kuwait.

Prof. Thomas, who also holds the charge of the Fisheries, said a signal light will be installed at Vettakkad, near the Kappil beach for the benefit of the fishermen.

Visits several spots

During the visit that commenced at 9-30 a.m, at the initiative Mr. Varkala Kahar, Prof. Thomas visited the Sivagiri Madhom. Along with top officials of Department of Tourism and the district, he went to the Varkala Tunnel to get a first hand information about the problems of the tunnel. Then he moved to Kayalpuram and to Kappil beach, which the department plans to convert into a centre for adventure sports.

During his interaction with the locals, the lack of facilities for tourists, blockage of Varkala tunnel, lack of facilitation centre, illegal constructions and the proliferation of illegal Ayurvedic centers were brought to his attention.

It was Ponninthuruthu, a small island of over 8 acres situated in the middle of the Anchuthengu-Kovilthottam lake, that Prof. Thomas visited last. After striding along the narrow path through a big heap of coir pith, the Minister got into a country boat from the "kadavu" along with others.

The island, which had an area of 14 acres previously, has a Siva temple owned by Vallipurakkal family and is learnt to be a favourite place for several birds. The Minister was told that the area of the island got reduced due to sand mining and that the locals wanted the island to be made a part of backwater tourism.

"I have seen the island, let us go around it and return to the main land," was the comment from Prof. Thomas when the locals in the boat suggested that the country boat be docked so that the VIP and others can step down and enter the island.

It was only at the insistence of Mr. Kahar that the Minister decided to step on to the island. Although he was reluctant to enter the temple, he removed the slippers and went around at the invitation of the temple authorities.

The Director of Tourism, Mr. Alkesh Kumar Sharma, the Additional Director (Tourism), Mr. Ravindra Agarwal, the District Collector, Mr. K.R. Jyothilal, Mr. Sudarasanan, the Assistant Planning Officer, Department of Tourism, Mr. B. Jayachandran Nair, the DTPC Secretary, Mr. G.R. Jayakumar, and the chairman of the Varkala Municipality, Mr.K. Sudarasanan, were among those who accompanied the Minister.

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