The Hindu : Antony calls for 'Clean Kerala' campaign

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 29, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Antony calls for 'Clean Kerala' campaign

By Our Staff Reporter

CHALAKKUDY SEPT 28. The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, has emphasised the need to launch a `Clean Kerala' campaign jointly by the Government and local bodies to cleanse the State from the menace of solid and liquid waste. Inaugurating the construction work on the Nabard-assisted Rs. 10-crore tourism road from Chalakkudy to the scenic Athirappalli waterfall area here today, the Chief Minister said elimination of waste was equally important as undertaking development projects.

Pointing out that the State was laying much hope on the tourism sector for reducing its massive unemployment problem, the Chief Minister said the development of tourism itself would largely depend on the maintenance of a clean environment across the State. But ensuring clean environment, as well as sound health care facilities, educational avenues and infrastructures is important not only from the tourism point of view, but it is the basic requirement of any State, the Chief Minister said.

'External aid must for State'

Mr. Antony said political and social activists as well as the people as a whole should accept the fact that the State will have to depend on aid from outside individuals and institutions for its development.

The Chief Minister said the resources from within the State both from the private sector and from the Government will not be sufficient to make any strides in the development front and cover up the time loss the State had suffered in that front.

``We will have to attract individuals and institutions from outside for filling the gaps in our development requirements, and to be able to provide employment to the millions of educated unemployed youth here. But if they are to come to invest in the State, the people here should give them the confidence. The political parties, social organisations and voluntary groups should work together to eradicate the image of Kerala as a State of quarrelling people. We can retain our differences on various issues and still work unitedly for the development of Kerala,'' the Chief Minister said.

Emphasising the enormous tourism potential of Kerala, the Chief Minister said while in other States they may have isolated tourist spots, the entire stretch of Kerala extended immense scope for tourism development. The Tourism Minister, K.V. Thomas, in his presidential address said the State had directly formulated three infrastructural projects totally worth Rs. 60 crores, with the assistance of Nabard. The Rs 10-crore Chalakkudy-Athirappalli tourism road is the first among them. The other two are the Rs. 25-crore Nenmara-Nelliyampathy road and the Rs. 25-crore waterway project linking Nedumbassery Airport and Kochi.

He said all these projects were expected to be completed within a year. The Tourism Department had selected three districts, including Thrissur for formulating a masterplan for tourism development.

The agency for drawing up the masterplan has been selected through global tenders. A sum of Rs 1.5 crores will be spent for drawing up the masterplans. Emphasising that pilgrim tourism had tremendous scope in Kerala, the Minister said nearly four crore people were known to be visiting the various pilgrim centres in Kerala annually.

The senior Congress leader, K. Karunakaran, who is also the local MP, delivered the keynote address. The Chalakkudy MLA, Savithri Lakshmanan, the district panchayat president, M.V. Visalakshy Teacher, the Chalakkudy municipal chairperson, Kochuthressia Thomas, and the District Collector, V. Gopala Menon, were among those who spoke on the occasion. The Tourism Director, Alkeshkumar Sharma, delivered the welcome address.

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