Kadalundi: An eco-friendly project that held immense potential to increase the tourist footfall in the area is in limbo following the crisis in the Rural Employee Guarantee Scheme as well as the lackadaisical attitude of the panchayat authorities.
The panchayat had announced the 1.10-km nature walkway along the Kadalundi river extending from the premises of the Community reserve office to the Kadalundi Kadavu bridge nine months ago. In a rare gesture, eleven local residents had even agreed to hand over their land on the river bank free of cost for the purpose, following which the panchayat authorities conducted a survey and marked the area for construction of the walkway. Still, the work has not taken off.
All that has been done under the project is that a drain has been built from the Kunnamthiruthy Road Junction to Community reserve office and the level of the road raised under the employment guarantee scheme. Though it was planned to lay interlocking tiles along this road, the work could not be taken up after the government imposed restrictions on works under the scheme. As a result, the walkway project was also stalled.
The panchayat had envisaged the walkway project as a participatory tourism initiative with the support of the local people. The estimated cost of Rs 3 crore was to be met with funds from various government agencies. Money from the Water Resources Department was to be utilized for building protective walls along the river bank and planting mangroves in the area. However, the tepid attitude of the panchayat caused this plan also to hit a dead end.
To be fair to the panchayat, it had prepared an ambitious ‘Tourism island project’ covering the mangrove forest in the area, the bird sanctuary, Chaliyam pulimutt beach and Vavvakadavu beach. However, the State Government is yet to give its green signal.
When contacted, president of the panchayat C K Ajayakumar said a tender amounting to Rs 5 lakh has been awarded by the panchayat and work will start soon. The remaining funds would be obtained from other government agencies and the nature walkway will turn a reality, he added.
