The Kerala Hydel Tourism Centre (KHTC), a subsidiary of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), is gearing up to promote the Banasura Sagar reservoir in Wayanad district as a major hydel tourism destination in the State.
Though the dam, the second largest earthen one in Asia, was commissioned in 2006, the KSEB authorities had not taken any serious efforts to tap the tourism potential of the site, except for setting up a small garden on the dam-top and a speed boating facility for tourists. Now, the KHTC has decided to launch a series of tourism projects.
The Tourism Department had sanctioned Rs.40 lakh to the District Tourism Promotion Council to procure four speed boats, KHTC sources told The Hindu . The authorities recently procured a battery-operated buggy to transport visitors from the entrance to the dam-top, the sources said. The facility would be opened to visitors after completing the construction of a 900-metre road for the purpose at a cost of Rs.20 lakh. A solar park with six types of solar panel structures, similar to the one installed at the Vydyuthi Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram, would be set up at the hydel park in two weeks, sources said. It would power the lighting systems to be installed around the park and there would be facilities to recharge mobile phones. A cafeteria and toilet block would be opened soon, sources said. “The KHTC has submitted a master plan to the government for the development of the destination, including beautification of the hydel park, lighting arrangements, a garden on 40 acres, new ticket counters, and shopping centres,” sources said. “We are expecting the final approval of the government in three weeks,” the sources added.
