Television producer and Congress youth leader Nivedith Alva took charge as Chairman of Coastal Development Authority (CDA) here on Thursday. Mr. Alva, son of the former Union Minister Margaret Alva, said his priority was to ensure the development of tourism in the beaches along the coast.
“The State government has requested the Centre for relaxation of Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) norms for selected beaches. The body will pursue it as this is the only way to tap tourism potential,” he said. Increasing the presence of the authority on social media and leveraging the website to seek suggestions from citizens was an immediate goal, said Mr. Alva. He claimed his years leading reality TV shows would come in handy in handling the authority that oversees development works across three coastal districts.
Conceding that funds would be an issue, Mr. Alva said a delegation of Ministers and political representatives from the region would meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah – who holds the Planning portfolio – “soon” to request for increased funding for the Authority.
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The appointment of Mr. Alva comes nearly two years after the previous Chairman resigned. This period saw dormancy, with few development works undertaken. While the authority had a budget of Rs. 10 crore in 2012-13, the past two years have seen just Rs. 1.5 crore trickle into the authority.
“There are not enough funds for CDA. To increase the focus on minor ports, fishing harbours and tourism, the authority must organise a coastal investors’ meet to ensure corporate participation,” said MLA J.R. Lobo.