Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 14: District in-charge minister, Vinay Kumar Sorake, revealed that beach festivals will be organized by the government at Kaup on a grand scale every year during April for giving fillip to tourism.

He was addressing the gathering after inaugurating 'Suggi-Huggi' folklore programme and programme to distribute tourist taxies organized by tourism as well as Kanada and culture departments along with Associations of Coastal Tourism on Saturday March 12 evening at Kaup beach.

Sorake said that the beach festival here will have added attraction in the form of performances by Mohan Alva's team of artistes. "We plan to explore tourism potential of the district on the model of Kerala and Goa. Towards this goal, development works costing Rs 87 lac are being undertaken in Kaup beach surroundings, he added.

The minister distributed 17 tourist taxies released by the department of tourism to candidates from scheduled caste, tribes, backward classes and minorities. Kaup CA Bank president, Kaup Diwakar Shetty, president of Associations of Coastal Tourism, Manohar Shetty, Deviprasad Constructions Ltd managing director, K Vasudeva Shetty and head of Kaup Beach Maintenance organization, Yatish Bykampady, were present.

Assistant director of Kannada and culture department, Dr B Devadas Pai, welcomed. Tourism department assistant director, Nagaraj, proposed vote of thanks. Artiste, Shankardas, presented the programme.

At the progrmme some of those present shared aloud with the media persona about their suspicion that benefits of this tourist taxi scheme have reached ineligible candidates, going by the fact that some of those who received tourist taxies from the minister were found to be financially sound.