Tourists visiting Karnataka and looking forward to clean, well-maintained monuments, smooth stay and a good travel experience have to wait a while. The tourism department is giving finishing touches to its strategy to put the state among the top two destinations of the country.
In fact, it is yet to put in place a system to direct funds to different districts, which do not reach the headquarters properly. Along with leakage of funds, the department continues to face a shortage of people at the district level, pointed out K Shiva Shanmugam during a meeting with K Viswanatha Reddy, director, department of tourism. “We have toured 15 districts in the last 10 months.
The hygiene level is below average. The awareness of destinations is poor. Officials are not well-equipped in the districts,” Shanmugam said. Acquisition of land for infrastructure also continues to delay projects. Reddy said, “I have been writing to deputy commissioners to provide two to five acres land to create wayside amenities on highways. We are prepared to pay for it.Construction will begin in three to five locations where we have managed to get land.”
The department, however, has no solutions or plans in place for issues like cleanliness of monuments and scenic spots. “Entrust the responsibility to your local chapters, who will feel the responsibility. Let them act with us,” Reddy said.The department is also organising a workshop for taxi drivers to create awareness about importance of tourism.
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