Kumbalangi Responsible Tourism to be revived
Dominic Presentation MLA and panchayat president Susan Joseph have promised support
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-11-16 05:59 GMT
KOCHI: Implementation of the responsible tourism project at Kumbalangi, which was hit due to political meddling and lack of support from local body and residents, will be revived soon.Though the nodal agency KITTS, (Kerala Institute Tourism and Travel Studies), mooted several programmes aimed at getting economic benefits for the local community, it could not be taken forward due to lack of support from the local body.
Now, the standoff between tourism authorities and the local leadership has been settled after negotiations by Dominic Presentation MLA and the recently elected panchayat president Susan Joseph. Both the leaders held several rounds of talks with KITTS officials and promised support in implementing the programme.
When contacted, Dominic Presentation MLA said that initial hiccups in implementing the RT project had been resolved. “There were certain issues between the panchayat authorities and the Kumbalangi Model Tourism Development Society over the project implementation. As per the norms, KITTS can take up the initiative only through the local body. Disputes over the right for project implementation have been settled,” he said.
Meanwhile, top officials at KITTS expressed displeasure over the delay in completing the RT project. “We had to temporarily withdraw from the project due to non-cooperation from other stakeholders including panchayat authorities. However, the project was not a failure as basic works have been continuing. Resource mapping in the area has been completed including details like farming and agricultural produce, handicrafts, art and culture that can be utilized to derive economic benefits,” said a top official of KITTS.
It was in February 2012 that Kumbalangi was officially selected for the responsible tourism initiative by the tourism department.