A KERALA TOURISM INITIATIVE
Soon most prominent tourist
destinations figuring in the Green Carpet initiative in Kerala will be made
accessible to differentially abled. Ramps will be constructed and wheelchairs
will be made available in these destinations, U. V. Jose, Director, Kerala
Tourism said in a review meeting of the Green Carpet initiative.
The meeting chaired by him was attended
by Destination Managers of the destinations selected for the Green Carpet
initiative. A detailed review of the works carried out till now, issues to be
addressed, and the way forward to equip the destinations with enough facilities
and to ensure that they are tourist ready by October 31 were discussed.
The Director also called for the
implementation of a three unit system which comprises of a place to sort the
collected waste, a unit to manage biodegradable waste, a system to recycle
plastic waste and an incinerator for managing waste which was a major
constraint plaguing most destinations.
It was also decided to ban plastic in
gated destinations and enable involvement of small scale paper and cloth bag
making units to provide a suitable alternative for plastic.
In order to ensure security and safety
in destinations, a Tourism Police contingent comprising of the likes of
ex-service men will be set up. It was also decided to identify spots that are
most friendly to differentially abled in all the destinations and make it
accessible to them.
The Director reiterated that Green
Carpet was not just about cleaning a destination but a holistic development and
improvement of destinations. Later, the Destination Managers were grouped to
develop a strategy which will help in ensuring transparency, accountability,
social auditing, and so on while implementing the ten point agenda in these
destinations.
The Destination Managers have been
entrusted with full responsibility of the destinations under them. As many as
81 destinations have been selected from 14 districts. The major objectives of
the project include setting up of basic amenities at the destinations, their
maintenance on a permanent basis, building basic infrastructure and developing
sustainable tourism with the support of local communities.
The multi-agency participatory campaign
involves engagement of tourism and trade stakeholders, local self-government
bodies, the National Service Scheme Technical Cell under the Directorate of
Technical Education, Suchitwa Mission, Kudumbasree, educational institutions
and NGOs, apart from other social organisations.
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