Clean Kerala drive

One of the major positives that came out of Kerala Travel Mart 2012 lay in the unhygienic surroundings being created around our tourist destinations due to accumulation of garbage. The government and the tourism trade has come together to launch one of its most ambitious campaigns within Kerala to “Clean Kerala” and make it the cleanest destination in the country.

A common concern that was shared by many who participated in KTM 2012 was on improper waste management and lack of awareness among tourists and locals alike in controlling this. Kerala Tourism along with all tourism bodies in Kerala like CATO, ATTOI, DTPC, TDPC, TPC etc have decided to come together to create a cohesive effect in redressing this issue. A major drive was launched from 2nd October till 7th October across Kerala where regional bodies came together to participate in cleaning their respective city/ town/ villages.

Govt of Kerala has extended its wholehearted support in clearing the mess and in making Kerala the cleanest state in India. Various waste disposal schemes will be introduced across all tourism zone based on the issues faced by the destination. For example in the backwaters the main problem is of floating garbage, government has proposed to issue handheld garbage removers which will be issued to the houseboats and the houseboat employees will collect the garbage and dump it at a designated spot of a daily basis. In the eco sensitive zones like Thekkady and Munnar exclusive area wise zones is being planned to clear out plastic, paper, metal and kitchen waste.

It is going to be herculean task but Kerala is known for its success stories in Tourism. Unlike earlier times when things are planned and executed over a period of time, this time everything has to be immediate and has to happen simultaneously. One can draw conclusions from the fact that “Clean Kerala Drive” was planned inside closed chambers during KTM 2012 which ended on 30th September and implementation began from 2nd October. Join us in keeping our state clean.