Minister flags off KSTDC Mangaluru special package tour

Mangaluru, Apr 17: R V Deshpande, Minister for Tourism, Large and Medium Scale Industries, flagged off the Mangaluru Special Package Tour, initiated by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation, at Dr Shivaram Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that the state government has taken several measures to provide basic amenities and to ensure protection of visitors to various tourists spots in the state. The Department of Home Guards has deployed 125 trained security personnel at 319 tourist destinations. Another 250 people will be trained and the selection process is going on. Another new programme has been introduced by the government, with private companies adopting and developing tourist spots, as corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, Deshpande added.

Development of beaches

The minister said that Rs 13 crore will be sanctioned soon to provide necessary equipment – including roads and drain facilities – at the beaches at Talapady, Surathkal, Ullal, Someshwar and Tannirbavi in the district.

He, meanwhile, said that relaxation to the Coastal Security Zone regulations has been sought by the state government from the Central Government Ministry of Environment, and added that the ministry has been requested to decrease the limit for carrying out beach development activities, from 250 metres to 90-100 metres, on selected beaches.

Minister R V Deshpande expressed a need for the district administration to improve the marketing strategy for the Pilikula Nisargadhama. The district administration also has to establish perfect coordination among various departments involved in the development of the Nisargadhama, he said.

The Tourism Department has plans to organise open street programmes in Mangaluru, said the minister, explaining further that on a particular day, zero traffic will be observed on MG?Road and cultural activities will be held.

K Abhayachandra Jain, Minister for Youth Empowerment, Sports and Fisheries, said that the government has allocated Rs six crore for surfing and other adventure sports. Also, a fund of Rs 15 crore is reserved in the budget to install an aquarium at Pilikula.

S A?Prabhakar Sharma, executive director of the Nisargadhama said that the Tourism Department had sanctioned Rs five crore for development works at Pilikula and Rs four crore had been used for the works. A project plan for second phase development work has been submitted to the Department of Tourism, he added.

MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, MLA B A?Mohiuddin Bava, MLC Ivan D'Souza, Jungle Lodges President Asagodu Jayasimha, KSTDC Chairman S A?Hussain and Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim were present among others.