Tourism Dept to recover Rs 33 cr spent on projects that remain on paper

Kerala Tourism Minister PA Muhammed Riyas. Photo: Manorama
Kerala Tourism Minister PA Muhammed Riyas. Photo: Manorama

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Tourism Department has decided to crack down on the promotion of unviable schemes. A whopping Rs 33 crore allotted to various tourism schemes since 2016 will be recovered after a special drive found the projects “remained only on paper.” 

The amount was granted as an advance to various government departments, bodies, and private contract agencies to implement 43 projects. All of them were partially or wholly abandoned after the stipulated period expired.

Contracting agencies were found responsible for the non-implementation of some schemes, while others got indefinitely delayed due to disputes between various government departments and related hurdles.

The Rs 33 crore financial misappropriation was unearthed in an inquiry conducted by the Tourist Department for the last four months under the direction of Tourism Minister P A Muhammed Riyas.

Who will be made to pay

The projects that could not be implemented within three years of getting the administrative nod stand cancelled. Then the stakeholders should return the advance granted for project implementation.

If the fault lies with the agencies, they should repay the advance amount and an 18 per cent interest as penalty. If the officials are found responsible, the amount would be recovered from them.

Tourism Minister has given strict direction to the officials to determine whether any advance sum was allotted for 20 projects that got cancelled.

DTPC, KITCO under scrutiny

The probe revealed various agencies still possessed the advance amount even years after abandoning the projects.

Most tourism schemes initiated but later abandoned were by the District Tourism Promotion Councils (DTPC) and KITCO Ltd. The projects undertaken by agencies like Nirmithi Kendra, SIDCO, KEYCO, Water Resources Department, Harbour Engineering Department, HABITAT, WAPCOS, TEPS, JETPACK, and Sulabh too were found unimplemented.

Dead projects abound in Kannur

Most tourism schemes found abandoned were in Kannur. At least 10 projects, part of the ‘Thalassery Heritage Tourism,' were discarded after receipt of the advance amount for their implementation.

Out of nine projects in Wayanad, four were discontinued following an objection raised by the Forest Department.

The highest advance money allotted with regard to the tourism schemes abandoned after formulating the project plans was in Thiruvananthapuram. An amount of Rs 2.47 crore was granted as an advance for implementing the Pilgrim Heritage Project at Kulangara in Kazhakootam. However, DTPC abandoned the same following a court case over the project site.

Similarly, the Water Resources Department handed over Rs 2.4 crore for the Village Tourism project in Munroturuttu in Kollam. However, the same could not be implemented due to a lapse on the part of the contracting agency.

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Onmanorama. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.