Bekal Tourism Village project hits roadblock after investor company backtracks

Kanhangad: The ambitious Bekal Tourism Village project, which the Tourism Minister had personally intervened to implement  has come to grinding halt after the investor company withdrew from the project. Although steps were taken to find a replacement, they were unsuccessful. Morex Group, which had signed a contract with the Bekal Resorts Development Corporation Limited (BRDC), a company under the Tourism Department, expressed its intention to withdraw from the project at a secretary-level meeting.

BRDC issued a notice to Morex Group after the contract period for commencing construction expired with the work yet to make a start. Further delays led to a high-level meeting at the secretary level. The project, planned in two phases, aimed for a total investment of ₹250 crore. The project envisioned village experiences, farm tourism, fishing farms, adventure tourism, destination weddings, meetings, and exhibitions.

33.18 acres of land in Ajanur panchayat was identified for the tourism village.  This land was originally purchased by BRDC in 1996 for resort construction and later transferred for the Bekal Tourism Village project. The land was initially leased for resort construction but abandoned, it was then handed over to the Joice Group in Thrissur. However, the construction was hampered due to stricter Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules, limiting construction to only 3.5 acres.  Consequently, the Joice Group also abandoned the project.

With the resort construction stalled, the land remained covered by thick overgrowth for years. Subsequently, T Shobha, President, and K Sabish, Vice President of Ajanur Panchayat, submitted a request to the Minister and BRDC MD to implement tourism projects on the neglected land. Following this, Minister P A Muhammad Riyas intervened and ordered a departmental inspection. The inspection team reported that the land was suitable for non-resort tourism projects. The BRDC MD also took steps to make the project a reality and further led to the decision of implementing the Bekal Tourism Village project there.