THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lack of changing rooms, cloakrooms and toilets at Kovalam has left tourists in the lurch. Visitors are forced to depend on toilet facilities at nearby restaurants and use their own vehicles or hide behind parked boats for changing clothes. Though the tourist department claims to have spent crores to revive Kovalam, hardly any effort has been taken to provide basic amenities.
The only toilet complex operated by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) is of no use to tourists owing to lack of maintenance. An official said the district collectorate jointly with the tourism department has found land to construct a new toilet complex.
“The district collector has initiated steps to use the land for constructing a new toilet complex. The civic body has around 1 acre of land in the area,” said the official. DTPC is also planning to renovate the existing toilet complex immediately. “The Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) has submitted the estimate. Around `60 lakh will be required for renovating the complex,” said the official.