KOCHI: Though the master plans for the tourism development of Wayanad and also Alappuzha have been prepared by the state government to get the financial aid from the Centre, the Tourism Department is yet to pressurise for assistance regarding the former which could give a major facelift to the tourism centres.
The master plan for the development of Alappuzha was submitted to the Union Ministry and following the intervention of K C Venugopal MP, the fund was sanctioned. However, the report for the development of Wayanad is gathering dust at the Tourism Department.The Habitat Technology Group was entrusted with the preparation of the master plan and it has been submitted to the government. G Shankar, architect, said that initially a draft plan has been submitted to the government and later the final report.
Financial assistance to the tune of `50 crore each was assured by the Union Government for Alappuzha and Wayanad.
An amount of `1,500 crore was also planned for the tourism development activities in Wayanad alone which is yet to take off.
Sources said that the Tourism Department is yet to wake up for the development of tourism in Kerala despite the Union Government offering financial assistance. When the master plan for the development of Alappuzha got the financial assistance, nobody is interested to take up the matter of Wayanad to the Centre.
“It is ridiculous that various departments of Kerala blame the Union Government for not supporting the development activities of the State. The master plan for the development of Wayanad is yet to reach the Union Tourism Ministry and if it is delayed the financial aid of `50 crore owed to the State will get lapsed,” sources said. The master plan for Wayanad was prepared considering the entire tourism potential areas in the district. An estimated `1,500-crore project was being planned here to attract more tourists without disturbing the environment.
Meanwhile, tourism director Sheik Pareed said that already works for the development of tourism centres in Alappuzha have been started. Proposals for the development of Karappuzha at `25 crore and Pazhassi Park at `5 crore in Wayanad have been submitted to the Union Government and awaiting the financial sanction.
As per the plan, the Karappuzha area will be the hub of the tourists arrivals, as it is the most accessible point from Mysore, Madurai, Kozhikode and Kannur. From this hub, the tourists will be allowed to move to various places in a restricted manner. The same procedure is being planned for restricted tourist flow spots like Pookodu lake and Edakkal caves as more crowd at these places may lead to accidents.