more-in Tourism development in Kozhikode is likely to go slow in the days to come as the sector is beset with twin problems: some of the major tourist destinations have had to bear the brunt of the flood fury and the post of the secretary of the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) is vacant again. According to C.N. Anitha Kumari, Deputy Director, Tourism, the DTPC building near the Thusharagiri waterfalls had suffered damage after the heavy rain and floods last month. Cracks had developed in the basement of the building. Retaining walls too had been damaged. Because of landslips in the region, a well on the premises had been filled. A hotel and restaurant catering to the needs of tourists had been temporarily closed. “The loss is estimated to be around ?4 lakh,” she said. Thusharagiri is a major tourism hotspot in the district. Road to the Arippara waterfalls was damaged. Meanwhile, the tourism facilities under the Forest Department has suffered damage worth ?31 lakh. Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary has suffered extensive losses. One suspension bridge in Koorachund panchayat had been washed out. The Tourism Department has submitted a report to the government seeking assistance to rebuild the infrastructure. It includes an ?80-lakh proposal to renovate facilities at the historic Kappad beach, where Portuguese traveller Vasco Da Gama is believed to have set foot on. Meanwhile, the post of the DTPC secretary, who is supposed to be in charge of the tourism development works in the district, has fallen vacant again after the incumbent has joined the government service. Kozhikode did not have a full-time secretary for DTPC for long, affecting many of the projects initiated by the department. The situation had changed a bit last year with the appointment of a new secretary. Projects such as the renovation of S.M. Street and South Beach were taken up during the time. However, Ms. Anitha Kumari, who had been given additional charge of the DTPC, expressed the hope that the vacuum would not affect any of the ongoing projects. She said that the government was expected to recruit a full-time secretary for DTPC soon.

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