KOZHIKODE: There is a question mark on the foreign participation in the much-hyped Malabar river festival this year as the prize money for the last year’s Kayaking competition held eight months ago is yet to be distributed citing technical reasons and shortage of funds. The tourism project was envisaged by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) and the district administration.
An amount of Rs 10 lakh, including Rs 7 lakh that was kept apart as the prize money for the winners of Kayaking championship, is yet to be distributed. At the same time, the Kayaking academy has announced the fourth edition of the festival in July in spite of having no hope of getting foreign participants.
According to Mr V.D. Joseph, in charge of Kerala Kayaking Academy, the future of the festival is in trouble with the lackadaisical attitude of both the DTPC and the district administration. “The district collector who is the sitting chairman of DTPC was responsible for releasing the fund, but citing various issues, the amount was withheld,” he said.
Mr Manik Taneja, Kayaking championship host, said they were not confident of inviting foreign participation. “Since the officials in charge of DTPC change now and then, we cannot approach them,” he said.
Collector N. Prasanth said, “the amounts are yet to be released because of confusion on the details of the participants and fund crunch with DTPC. Once the confusion is over, the amount will be released,” he said.
This year, Kerala Kayaking Academy has announced the fourth edition of Malabar river festival from July 29 to 31 at Thusharagiri. Unlike previous year, 10 Kayaking participants from Kozhikode district, at present undergoing training with the academy, will compete with the foreign champions. “We have already announced the dates,” said Mr V.D. Joseph.
