Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (JD)

Mangaluru, Dec 14: Training auto rickshaw drivers on cashless payment and tourist destinations, making Sasihitlu beach the surfing hub of the region, package tours of the coastal region, construction of toilets - these were some of the issues that were discussed at the meet on developing tourism in the district, held at the DC's office here on Wednesday December 14.

Auto drivers for tourism development

Praksh from Kudla Souharda Sahakara Sangha, the organization of auto rickshaw drivers that has taken the initiative to go cashless with Paytm installation in autos, suggested that rickshaw drivers in the city be trained in using cashless payments and such autos be endorsed by the tourism deparment to infuse confidence in the public.

"Initially, installation of GPS in auto rickshaws cost around Rs 10,000 but now that we have installed Paytm, we are getting GPS for free. So we have been able to keep track of autos, which has been helpful even during the night. There is also an app which helps to locate the auto rickshaw and gives detail about the various services in temples. This has helped everyone to go cashless.

"Our demand is that these auto rickshaws should be endorsed by the tourism department to build confidence among the tourists. Auto drivers should be trained with soft skills and information about heritage and cultural centres so that they can contribute to tourism development," he said.

Package tours

H R Alva suggested the introduction of a day-long, two-day or three-day package tour with Mangaluru as the centre, where tourists could be taken by bus service to religious and cultural centres in the city in the morning and beaches in the evening before being dropped at their accomodations. A second day could be added to take them on guided tours to places like Dharmasthala, Thousand Pillar Basadi in Moodbidri, Karkala etc, and on the third day, they could go to destinations like Udupi, Madikeri, Hassan, Bekal Fort and return to the city, Alva said.

There was also suggestions to put up signboards at important junctions and maps of the tourist destinations at every hotel, along with calendars from the district administration giving information about various happenings in the city, like beach festivals, religious festivals etc.

Journalist Raghuram said, "Whenever we go to Kerala and Goa, we see that people there are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their tourist destinations. Awareness programmes should be held for school and college students along with people on tourist destinations in Mangaluru so that every citizen of the city becomes a tourism brand ambassador."

'Panambur beach being used by some for fake publicity'

Yathish Baikampady, head of Panambur Beach Development Authority said that every Sunday and even on some week days, some organizations target only the Panambur beach for cleanliness and garner free publicity. "There are incidents wherein organizations have brought waste from other places, dumped at Panambur beach and hogged publicity by cleaning the same. We want to tell everyone that the staff of the Panambur Beach Development Authority clean the beach everyday. There are many villages starting from Kulur - like Idya, Suratkal, Chitrapur - where the organizations can go and clean instead of doing it for publicity at the beach."

Sasihitlu as surfing destination

Dhruvin of Mangalore Surfing Club proposed the idea of making Sasihitlu beach the surfing destination of the city. "We urge the district administration to make Sasihitlu beach as the surfing destination of the city, wherein surfers can go everyday like people go to gym in the morning, and surf. Sasihitlu is quite far from the city, so arrangements should be made for surfing at Panambur and Tannirbavi beaches too, with surfing areas specially marked so that surfers do not collide with general visitors," he said.

He also suggested enhancing security at the beaches. "There should be an online portal which give live telecast of activities at the beach with the help of high definition CCTV cameras. We could even ask banks and large scale industries to sponsor these cameras, and they in turn could advertise themselves in the portal. This will make people aware of the safety at the beach. Also locals and fishermen's children should be trained with soft skills, lifesaving skills and surfing. They can act more switfly than lifeguards, as they would be surfing in the water," he said.

In reply, deputy commissioner Dr K G Jagadeesh said, "The government has already identified Sasihitlu beach to develop it into a surfing destination. It has already allotted Rs 2-2.5 crore for the purpose. We do not want to develop the beach in an unscientific way with just benches and other infrastructure, but want to make it more lively and vibrant with people. We are already working on it and have formed a committee. I request the people to be a part of it and come up with more plans to implement it effectively."

There was also a demand to develop Someshwar and Talapady beaches, with members in the meeting alleging that even though Rs 3.5 crore was allotted for the purpose two years ago, nothing had been done so far.

Construction of toilets

Krishnaraj Salian requested the district administration to build more toilets. A few members pointed out that locals, especially sand workers from Chitrapur up to Baikampady defecate openly at the beaches. "Many of them do not have toilets in their houses. I urge the district administration to take action in this regard," Salian said.

The DC replied, "We have already written to every gram panchayat president and panchayat development officers (PDOs) to sensitize the people to stop such practices. The district administration will set up a 24/7 helpline to receive complaints in this regard. A team of officials will visit the places and sensitize people."

There was also a demand to set up a Twitter page of the district administration to cater to issues and grievances from the public. The DC said such a page already exists and would be handled efficiently henceforth.

President of KCCI Jeevan Saldanha moderated the discusssion along with the DC.

District Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, information officer Khader Sha and others were present.