Toby Antony By Express News Service KOCHI: Valanthakad, the picturesque island village surrounded by Vembanad lake, will be developed into a tourism destination with authorities planning to include it in the Responsible Tourism (RT) project. The Tourism department has sanctioned `99.9 lakh to cover the initial cost of developing infrastructure at the village, located 9 km away from Kochi under Maradu municipality and is accessible only by boats and ferries. “RT aims at providing a village experience to tourists. At Valanthakad, tourists can spend hours making handicrafts with residents. They can also engage in fishing activities with the islanders,” said Ernakulam District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) secretary S Vijaykumar. He said the move will let residents reap financial benefits and become a part of tourism promotion activities. “Residents can start homestays in future as tourists will prefer to stay on the island and enjoy its scenic beauty,” he said. Floating facilitation centre A floating facilitation centre would be constructed at Valanthakad as part of the project. This centre will have a cafeteria and restrooms. Floating boat jetties will also be constructed. A walkway having proper lighting will be constructed on land to let tourists take a stroll through the village at night. “Funds have been sanctioned for the project. Just some paperwork remains. After completing it, the project will enter implementation stage,” said Vijaykumar. Work of bridge to begin The tender for constructing a bridge connecting the island to Maradu has been awarded, said Rathi Divakaran, Valanthakad ward councillor. A bridge has been a long-pending demand of Valanthakad residents, who currently depend on boats and ferries to travel to and from the island. “Now, the Kerala State Electricity Board has to shift some of its electricity poles,” said Rathi. Facilities in offing ?Floating facilitation centre with cafeteria and restrooms to be built ?Floating boat jetties and walkways with lighting to be installed too ?Construction of bridge connecting Valanthakad to Maradu to commence soon ?A walkway having proper lighting will be constructed on land to let tourists take a stroll through the village at night More villages under Responsible Tourism project Tourism department officials are also looking to bring Chirakkal, Kari and Kalathra villages in Chellanam panchayat under the RT project. “We have submitted a proposal to include several villages under Chellanam panchayat under the project. Final sanction is awaited. The major issue tourism projects face is the availability of land. Even after land is identified, a sanction from the director of the Local Self-Government department is required to acquire it,” said Vijaykumar.

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