Bengaluru
Forest Biology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre has asserted that although there is ample opportunity for eco-tourism in the state, it has not been adequately utilized and a new policy is needed to develop tourism without destroying the nature, environment and forest. He presided over the meeting of the Ecotourism Development Board in his office in Bangalore and said that adventure tourism can also be a part of ecotourism in collaboration with the Youth Empowerment and Sports Department and the Tourism Department. Then it will attract more people, said the minister. There is a lot of interest among today’s youth in eco-related tourism like river rafting and trekking. Therefore, he asked to submit a report for formulating a new policy to check the possibilities of enabling tourism in such places which may be within the forest area. In this regard, he said to discuss with environmental experts, tourism department and other stakeholders and formulate an outline. With more than 300 km of coastline in Karnataka, opportunities for eco-tourism here too are high. Utilization of this potential requires huge financial investment. He also directed to submit a comprehensive report on the steps to be taken to attract capital. In the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Biology and Environment, Javed Akhtar, Senior I.A.S. Officers Kapil Mohan, Manjunath Prasad, and senior officers of the Forest Department Rajeev Ranjan, Subhash Malkede, Sanjay Bijjoor, Kumar Pushkar and others were present.
