Forest Minister Benoy Viswom on Tuesday will commission the eco-tourism project conceived to tap the tourism potential of the Idinjar-Mankayam regions and to preserve their natural beauty. The Thiruvananthapuram Forest Development Agency has joined hands with the Kerala Tourism and the Forest Department to set up the project in Nedumangadu Taluk. The project will also ensure the safety of hundreds who flock to the cascading waterfalls on the Chittar river. It is expected to provide employment to the local people, help visitors get to know nature and kindle interest among the younger generation in the history of the region. The entry fee collected from visitors arriving at the project site would be deposited in a fund and used to protect the forest and banks of the river. The project is being implemented as part of the Union Government's Participatory Forest Management Programme. Vana Samrakshana Samithis (VSSs) with involvement of those who depend on the forests for their livelihood were set up as part of the programme. This is the second eco-tourism project being implemented by the agency in the district. The first project was inaugurated at Kallar en route to the hill resort of Ponmudi in 2003-2004. Official sources said the eco-tourism project at Ponmudi would be commissioned on January 1.
(Hindu, 26 Dec 2006)
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