Local bodies can take up tourism tasks: Isaac

Local bodies can take up tourism tasks: Isaac

Staff Reporter

Finance Minister calls for new approach to tourism

# Says no need for regulatory authority for `Modern Munnar'
# Cites the example of Pathiramanal Island

ALAPPUZHA: Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has said that there is no need to set up a separate regulatory authority for the `Modern Munnar' project of the State Government.

Dr. Isaac, speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, said that the task of reforming Munnar after the ongoing demolitions should be handed over to local self-government institutions like panchayats instead of constituting yet another regulatory authority.

His observation comes in the wake of the Muhamma grama panchayat taking up a tourism project in Pathiramanal Island after over a decade's struggle to protect it. The project will start on August 14.

"Local self-governing bodies can take up such tasks and prepare master plans as per the Town and Country Planning Act and then submit that to the Government, which can then help them with the implementation and regulatory aspects of the project," the Minister said.

Pointing out that several regulatory authorities had proved ineffective and were being dissolved in various other places, Dr. Isaac said the Muhamma grama panchayat in Alappuzha, which fought against commercial designs on the Pathiramanal Island, set up a scientific commission and recommended an eco-friendly bio-park project for the area, was a classic example of what local self-government bodies could do with their limited powers, provided they were allowed to do so. Such a move would pave the way for a new approach to tourism in ecologically sensitive places like Munnar and Pathiramanal.

"Social monitoring and involvement is necessary for tourism, which can otherwise produce negative results like what happened in Kovalam. We certainly do not want another Kovalam," he said.