Ramanathapuram
Minister for Information Technology M. Manikandan has said the pilgrim island of Rameswaram would soon emerge as the most preferred tourist destination as the State and Central governments proposed to develop the island as the best tourist centre with an outlay of ₹30.93 crore.
Addressing after inaugurating food safety awareness mela in Rameswaram on Saturday, he said the island which had been attracting pilgrims from all parts of the world, thanks to the historic Sri Ramanathasamy temple would soon emerge as one of the top tourist destinations in the country.
He said under the ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme of Union Ministry of Tourism, the Municipality would take up various developmental schemes at the total cost of ₹15.86 crore for the benefit of pilgrims and tourists.
He said Dhanushkodi, the once a flourishing trading centre before it was devastated by the 1964 cyclonic storm, would also emerge as a must visit site as the remnants of the architectural monuments in the desolate stretch would be preserved on the lines of Ross island of Andaman and Nicobar islands, rocked in the 1941 earthquake.
The remnants would be preserved in ‘as and where condition’ at the total cost of ₹1.37 crore, he said adding the government would introduce e-cycles, e-auto rickshaws, mini-buses and mobile toilets for the convenience of tourists and pilgrims.
A Tourist Information Centre would be set up to showcase the ‘treasure trove’ of the island through light and sound shows at the cost of ₹4.52 crore, he said. ‘Ramayana circuit,’ a thematic circuit, would be implemented at the cost of ₹6.18 crore, he said.
As the government was keen on making available clean and hygienic food to the tourists, the district unit of Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration department organised a month-long food safety awareness mela in the island.
Speaking on the occasion, Collector S. Natarajan said public and tourist and pilgrims who visited the island should check the food served to them was safe and prepared in a hygienic manner. They should check how the food items were prepared in roadside eateries and restaurants, he said.
They later distributed pamphlets to the public as part of the awareness mela. District Revenue Officer S. Muthumari and District Designated Officer, Food Cell, M.J.C. Bose, were among others present at the function.
