[1]Receding water level in the river has forced the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC)- run Kadambrayar Eco Tourism Destination and Boat Club to stop the boat rides for tourists at the picnic spot.
According to Baby John, managing council member and in-charge of Kadambrayar boat club, the boat could not be operated for the last five days due to the low water level. “The boat got stuck in the mud and hence we stopped the rides.”
According to him, the mud barrier in the river near Rajagiri Management School campus was washed away in the heavy rains recently.
“Once the rains stopped, the water level went down drastically in the absence of the barrier. The only permanent solution is the construction of a regulator-cum-bridge,” he said.
The DTPC had proposed the regulator-cum-bridge long ago and the irrigation department had agreed to construct one.
“Every year, the mud barrier gets broken in heavy water flow downstream. Practically, we get only six months to operate the boat ride here and the entire venture has become unviable.
I have invested heavily on the boat and other infrastructure facility at the club and the eco tourism destination,” he said.
Adding to the problem was the delay in dredging the river.
“The project report for dredging is ready. We expect an administrative sanction at the earliest,” DTPC secretary T.N. Jayashankar said.
Jayashankar further said that Rs 7 core was sanctioned for the regulator-cum-bridge at Irumpanam but the work is yet to be taken up by the irrigation department.
The one-and-a-half hour boat ride to Infopark and back from the boat club was popular with tourists as the spot was surrounded by rare water birds.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/10boatjpgcropdisplayjpg-356