Minister assures priority development of rural roads connecting tourist destinations; association submits 16 key demands
Karnataka Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi has announced that a high-level meeting involving ministers and senior officials from various departments will soon be convened in Bengaluru to discuss tourism development in Kodagu. He also assured that rural roads connecting tourist destinations within a five-kilometre radius would be taken up for priority development.
The minister was speaking after inaugurating a gathering organised in connection with the annual general meeting of the Coorg Hotels and Resorts Association (COHERA) at Coorg Wilderness Resort on the outskirts of Madikeri.
Acknowledging Kodagu’s growing prominence as a tourist destination despite infrastructure constraints, Jarkiholi assured the tourism sector of all possible assistance in improving road connectivity. He said the proposed meeting in Bengaluru would examine the district’s tourismrelated demands and expedite improvements to rural roads leading to tourist destinations within five kilometres.
The minister also said he would give serious consideration to demands for establishing a tourism training centre in Kodagu, improving inter-state road connectivity and setting up a mini airport.
He noted that the state government had constructed 4,000 bridges across Karnataka over the past three-and-a-half years. However, he expressed concern that the annual budget allocation for the Public Works Department had remained at Rs 10,000 crore for several years without an increase.
Road Repairs and Tourism Infrastructure
Madikeri MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda said Kodagu had approximately 2,000 km of state highways and 3,500 km of rural roads. Roads damaged by heavy rainfall would be repaired at the earliest, he assured.
He urged local bodies to take greater responsibility for maintaining and regulating tourist destinations, while prioritising employment opportunities for local residents.
The government had released an additional Rs 5 crore for the final phase of the delayed Kodava Heritage Centre project, Mantar Gowda announced. Work would be expedited from November, with the aim of completing the project.
He also explained that, following landslide disasters in Kodagu, officials had adopted stringent precautionary measures to protect the environment and were restricting activities that could cause environmental damage. The resulting scrutiny, he said, had delayed some government projects.
Welcoming the growing participation of Kodagu’s younger generation in tourism, the MLA urged hotels and resorts to pay greater attention to waste management.
Yaduveer Calls for Sustainable Development
Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Wadiyar said Kodagu possessed natural beauty capable of attracting a wide range of tourists, making it distinctive among tourist destinations. Nature was Kodagu’s greatest asset, he said, emphasising that protecting this invaluable resource was a collective responsibility.
He announced that plans would be formulated to document Kodagu’s history for future generations. A sound-and-light and laser show at the Madikeri Fort Palace was also proposed. The MP suggested studying development models adopted in northern India and adapting suitable approaches to Kodagu’s environmental and climatic conditions.
He added that highway construction up to Kushalnagar, near the district’s boundary, was in its final stages.
Association Highlights Growth in Tourism
COHERA Association president Kundyolanda Dinesh Cariappa said the association, established in 1995, currently had 180 members, comprising 86 hotels, 63 resorts and 31 restaurants in the district.
Kodagu had recorded 1.25 crore tourist visits over the preceding three years, while 28 lakh tourists had visited between January and the end of September this year, he said.
He also expressed satisfaction with the response to the association’s Swachha Kodagu-Sundara Kodagu (Clean Kodagu – Beautiful Kodagu) campaign, which received encouraging participation across the district.
Karnataka Hotel Association president Madhukar Shetty assured the association of all possible support for tourism development in Kodagu. He said Karnataka had approximately 42,000 hotel businesses, providing employment to 1.50 crore workers across the state.
Also present were Theethira Dharmaja Uthappa, district president of the Guarantee Schemes Implementation Committee; Shashidhar, an officer of the Kodagu Tourism Department; and D.K. Manjunath, joint secretary of the Coorg Hotels and Resorts Association.
Association general secretary Nasir Ahmed welcomed the gathering, while director Harikrishnan proposed the vote of thanks. Honorary adviser G. Chidvilas compered the programme.
Before the meeting, the association’s governing body and directors, led by president Dinesh Cariappa, submitted a memorandum outlining the minister and legislators during an interactive session.
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