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Time to get tourist-friendly
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In a scramble to lure tourists, we may just be warding them off!
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Fort Kochi has been declared a heritage zone and tour operators are bending backwards to allure tourists but unfortunately in some ways the place is not tourist-friendly. There have been instances of tourists being robbed and molested in unlit areas. Moreover, in a heritage zone, no one expects more and more so called development.
Enid D'Cruz, who lives in a 500-year-old house and has spent all of her 75 years in Fort Kochi says, "It is so sad that so many concrete buildings have come up and crowded up the place."
Says Mr. Harrison, a member of the Catholic Youth Movement, "In some parts of Fort Kochi there are no street lights and these places have become a haven for street gangs to operate. There have also been many reported cases of drug peddling, which adds to the nuisance value of the place." Says Mr. Charles Anthonym, "The Residents' Association has distributed a pamphlet called `The Don't's' to make the tourists aware and beware of certain things but that has come under a lot of flak."
There have also been instances when tourists were lured into buying exorbitantly high priced things when they were really worth only one-tenth of the cost. Says a tour operator, "I intervened when my client was charged 550 pounds for a rug and made the shop keeper take it back. It is okay if they take a marginal profit but they shouldn't fleece the tourists like this." Another problem the tourists face is that the petty hawkers and guides constantly bother them. Says a French tourist Caroline, "They don't leave us alone and they keep pestering us." Mrs. Prema Dharmaraj, who lives very close to the Dutch Cemetery, points out yet another problem which Fort-Kochiites face: "Many a time after a tourist party (especially students) comes and goes the premises in front of St. Francis Church and the Dutch Cemetery are littered with plastic cups and bottles. There should be some kind of awareness camp to keep the place clean and there is urgent need for tourism management. "While the tourists and residents face manifold problems, the many organisations involved in conserving and preserving Fort Kochi face a dilemma of another kind. Says a source, "There have been proposals to allocate a certain area for private cars and tourist buses and levy a parking fee but the dilemma is who will collect the fee?"
A resident of Fort Kochi, Mr. Sunil Chammanam, who is distressed by the dismal state of Fort Kochi, says, "I have spent my entire life here and I used to enjoy going for walks on the beach but now there is no beach left. The sea has slowly eroded most of the beach and what is left of it is very dirty." The Jr. Health Inspector of the Health Wing of Corporation of Cochin at Fort Kochi, which is responsible for the cleanliness, points out, "We have only 52 permanent employees and nine temporary employees and we have a vast area to cover so, it is difficult to clean the beach too." When asked about the cleanliness of the beach, many of the organisations involved in conserving Fort Kochi said, Kudumbashree was doing the job.
The RDO Office says, "Four women of Kudumbashree were doing the job but from last month there has been no money to pay these women. We have written to the Department of Kerala Tourism asking for Rs. 50,000 so we can pay them and are waiting for their reply. From November 1, the number of women has been increased to 10." Though there are ten women to clean the beach it seems only a massive cleaning operation will show some results.
Too much is happening in the heritage-rich zone of Fort Kochi under the name of endangered heritage. Tourists who flock to the destination find that the place is not exactly tourist-friendly. Hence before the tourists say a final goodbye, it is imperative that residents, tour operators, guides and the general public view them as lovers of their land and not Richie-riches to be fleeced and hounded.
Heritage upkeep
THE FORT KOCHI Heritage Zone Conservation Society is a registered society, which has been formed to monitor the development activities in Fort Kochi for the conservation and preservation of the same. The RDO of Fort Kochi is the ex- officio Chief Executive of the society and the District Collector of Ernakulam is the chairman. The members of the society include the Mayor of Corporation of Cochin, the MLAs of Mattancherry, Ernakulam and Palluruthy, INTACH convener Cochin Chapter, president, Press Club, Jose Dominic, Simon Mathew and representatives of INTUC, CITU, STU.
M.I
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Bangalore
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Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
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