Encroachers at tourist spots to be relocated

KOCHI: Even as the Tourism Department is frantically working to woo people to visit the state through its monsoon tourism package, the local body is yet to work on value additions of tourism spots at Fort Kochi and Mattanchery.The present corporation has not come up with a firm plan to deal with encroachers who are a blot on the face of tourism in Fort Kochi and Mattanchery.Despite making high claims of cracking down on law violators soon after the Assembly elections, the Kochi Corporation has not taken any concrete steps, but has only reiterated its firm resolution to act against erring traders.The Mayor and local councilors recently visited the spots. MLA Dominic Presentation said that a solution had to be found to the issue. Fort Kochi could be made an ideal tourism location by removing the illegal traders from corporation land.This will be done in participation with all the players who help in promoting tourism. The traders will be told to relocate their operations from the shops allocated to them by the district administration.“The government is firm on its plan to promote tourism and it is a matter of time to execute the agenda,” he said. The traders would called for a meeting in the presence of councilors and other leaders. Leaders of all political parties will be involved in the talks. “The aim is to evict the encroachers by Onam when tourists would start trickling in for boat race and other events,” he said.The traders would be educated about the importance of vacating the encroached land and given a deadline to vacate the place.  MLA Hibi Eden said that the issue had to be addressed urgently. He said that the corporation had already made a beginning by conducting a study of the situation recently.