If everything goes by plan, by this month-end, tourists to Panambur beach will not have to walk down 500 metres from the National Highway 66 to hit the sands. City buses, plying towards Surathkal, have been issued new route permits and they will now have to operate via the beach.
According to the Regional Transport Officer, Mangalore Afzal Ahmed Khan, the buses are likely to start operation from June 30.
Informing this a meeting on tourism development, chaired by the by Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim here on Monday, Mr. Khan said that the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) had given permission for the buses plying to Katipalla, Mulki and Udupi from State Bank of India bus terminus to go via Panambur.
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“Permits have been given. These buses will be given timings shortly. The operation of these buses might start by June 30,” Mr. Khan said in the meeting.
He later told The Hindu that the same buses will not operate via the beach while returning to the city. Instead they ply straightaway on the highway.
Mr. Khan said in the meeting that notices have been issued to some private bus operators asking them to divert their buses coming from the city towards the beach. “But they are not ready as they fear congestion near an entrance to the New Mangalore Port because of parking of trucks,” he said.
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Mr. Ibrahim directed the tourism sub-committee headed by Mangalore City Corporation Commissioner Ajith Kumar Hegde S to come out with a comprehensive tourism brochure of the district and tourist map by July 15.
Assistant Director of Tourism Department Ajith Jithendranath said three local firms have evinced interest for preparation of tourism brochure. Mr. Jithendranath also displayed a tentative tourism map of the district.
Mr. Ibrahim said tourism map should be independent of the brochure and contain information about important places, landmarks, archaeological sites and transport facilities.
The brochure and the map should be made available on the website on Mangalore Urban Development Authority and suggestions of people should be invited before preparing it.