CLN spoke to COHERA’s President, Kundyolanda Dinesh Kariappa, Secretary Nasir Ahmed, and Treasurer Apparanda Sagar Ganapathy who provided an update on the encouraging meeting they had with the PWD Minister along with the MLAs and MP responsible for Kodagu.
The Coorg Hotels and Resorts Association (COHERA) had a meeting with the Hon’ble PWD Minister Shri Sathish Jarkiholi, along with Congress Political Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri A.S. Ponnanna, MLA Shri Manthar Gowda, Hon’ble Member of Parliament Shri Yaduveer Krishnadatta Wadiyar, Congress District President Dharmaja and Deputy Director of Tourism Shri Sashidar S.
The Association requested the Government to accord priority to improving the road infrastructure of Coorg, particularly:
– Madikeri–Virajpet
– Bettageri–Bhagamandala
– Virajpet–Bhagamandala State Highway
The Association also requested better connectivity from Somwarpet–Madikeri to Kannur International Airport, as well as the Hunsur–Virajpet–Kutta–Cochin corridor.
A proposal was also made to develop two important Coorg Economic Corridors by reconstructing and upgrading the existing roads to the highest standards, wherever possible without major widening:
1. Kushalnagar–Siddapur–Virajpet–Kakkabe–Napoklu–Bhagamandala–Bettageri–Madikeri
2. Somwarpet–Madikeri–Murnad–Virajpet–Kutta
Various other issues concerning the tourism and development of Coorg were also discussed.
The Association further requested that up to one acres of land belonging to young local graduates be permitted to be converted within 60 days, enabling them to establish startups and other businesses on their own land, subject to applicable regulations.
The Hon’ble Minister assured the delegation that the Government would take the necessary steps at the earliest and particularly assured that improvement of the roads would be taken up on priority.
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The management of COHERA are indeed a young and dynamic team. Their first landmark initiative was Swacha Kodagu Sundara Kodagu Abhiyana …. which was a runaway impactful success. The WhatsApp group alerting issues relating to the environment, garbage, climate change and so on is live and kicking. For it to be a real success- cleanliness has to become a way of life. Go to Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan and many other developing countries – their roads are free of garbage, markets spick and span, near public toilets – so what is lacking here – “attitude”.
As regards basic infrastructure – roads, power, water, bridges, health clinics …. they’re woefully inadequate. Good roads are not a favour – we have paid usurious “lifetime road tax” for this. Is there any accountability of “money collected vs matching money spent”? This data must be made available by district – especially given the increased GST collected due to tourism.
Bottom line is that the political dispensation and district administration should work in a determined way to construct roads that meet the demands of excessive tourism and the impact of the monsoon. A mere window dressed road that lasts for a couple of months is meaningless. This is a tough “ask” no doubt, but it is the only way forward.
How often does one see the politicians from all parties get together to discuss pressing issues for the district that they are responsible for – pulling in the concerned State Minister for effectiveness.
You have to hand it to the current COHERA team with Dinesh Cariappa at the helm to bring in a sense of public private partnership. What also appeals to me is that all of them are youngsters and that bodes well if they are able to work together and deliver results. There are many young GMs of large resorts but it wouldn’t be out of place to mention Hari Krishna of Coorg Wilderness Resort who is generally a self effacing but effective professional in getting things done.
May I add that it would be tremendous if COHERA could provide a quarterly update on the progress after this meeting – because ultimately that’s what matters.