Raja Seat to offer more for tourists

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the tourism sector has been facing plenty of problems, in terms of the stoppage of works and a fall in revenue.

This has in turn resulted in the degradation of livelihood of those who have been depending on tourism activities.

After the Covid-19 lockdown has been lifted in Kodagu, there has been an increase in the number of tourists visiting the places of interest and tourism is slowly showing signs of recovery.

World Tourism Day will be observed on September 27 and as the day is nearing, a major tourist attraction in the district, Raja Seat, is getting ready.

The departments of horticulture and tourism are working on giving a facelift to Raja Seat.

The development works, which were taken up amid protests, have now reached the final stage.

Earlier, the hours of visit to Raja Seat was restricted to half an hour. The contractors of the work say that the tourists can spend about half a day after the completion of work.

The development works are being carried out at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore.

New works

Three new watchtowers are being constructed in Raja Seat.

The park which was in a half-acre land has now been expanded to four and a half acres. A walking path has been carved for the tourists.

Apart from this, there will be 30 benches for the visitors to take a rest. Iron fences will be installed for safety.

Grass and fruit-bearing plants are grown in the park. Lawns are also developed, said Sudhir, the in-charge of the work.

Safety concerns

However, as the park has been developed, there are safety concerns as well.

Environmentalists express their concern about the after-effects of the work which are carried out on a huge scale. This may pose danger during heavy rain.

After there was opposition to the use of earthmovers, the work was manually done by the labourers.

Project manager Christopher said that the work will be complete by November end.

He also said that the work is being carried out scientifically. A proper drainage system has been put in place to drain the excess water during rain. There have been no issues during the recent rainfall.

On the other hand, the renovation of the old fort is also being carried out. No persons are allowed into the project site.

Upgrades needed

Abby Falls, which is at a distance of 6 km from Madikeri, is one of nature’s bounties.

The walking path leading to the falls is being developed by constructing steps.

However, the watchtower has not been repaired for years and the work on the hanging bridge has come to a halt.

A proposal has been submitted to include Kodagu in the list of districts where heli-tourism will be introduced.