Governor clarifies as his Ponmudi trip sparks controversy
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after his visit to Ponmudi hill station was termed a ‘pleasure trip’ amid COVID-19 scare, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan clarified on Monday that he visited the place to ensure welfare of tribal people and to promote eco-tourism. In three back-to-back tweets, the Governor said that he had discussed with the forest officers about steps to be taken to control the spread of diseases in the tribal settlement.
He was briefed by District Forest Officer K I Pradeep Kumar. He also interacted with the guides at the ecotourism site. They briefed about the various trekking activities conducted there. The Governor was keen to know how ecotourism benefited the tribal communities of the area. He said he later visited the Vanasree counter which sells various products from the forest.
The staff explained to him about the working of Vanasree. He was also briefed about waste management through ‘ProjectGreenGrass’ of the Forest Department. He also shared pictures of his visit along with the tweets.