Kudumbasree women set to keep Kumarakom clean

KOTTAYAM: In a new bid to clean the tourist destination of Kumarakom, women from Kudumbasree units will be appointed in the backwater village as ‘servers of the surroundings’ so as to keep Kumarakom clean and sanitised.

They will be given training in sanitation as per the new Responsible Tourism initiative. Kumarakom is one of the most frequented tourist destinations in the state.

The local panchayat will select Kudumbasree units for collecting plastic waste. “Five women have already been appointed for purpose and five more will be recruited now. The aim is to transform Kumarakom into a plastic waste-free destination. More women will be recruited after the month of June,” said Roopesh Kumar, state coordinator of the responsible tourism initiative.

The women will be given a monthly salary of Rs 6,000 from the fund allocated by the tourism department. Among the total Rs 90 lakh Rs 45 lakh was transferred to the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS).

Moreover, each household will get four cloth bags in order to do away with the plastic bags. The responsible tourism initiative was implemented in Kumarakom in 2008, along with three other destinations in Kerala - Kovalam, Thekkady and Wayanad - promoting socio, economic and environmental responsibility.