TIM Projects to be Completed in Time-bound Manner: Minister Riyas

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
All projects presented at the recent Tourism Investors Meet (TIM) organised by the Kerala Tourism Department in association with the industry will be completed in a time-bound manner through a single-window system.

A facilitation centre will start functioning at the Department of Tourism by January 25 to fast track the project and a web portal by February 10 for the purpose, Kerala Tourism Minister Mohamed Riyas said while presiding over a review meeting here.

The tourism department has shortlisted projects by 19 new investors for fast-track implementation from among the projects presented at the investor meet held here in November. A Project Monitoring Committee will be formed under the Tourism Secretary to assess the progress of the TIM projects and remove bottlenecks.

A nodal officer will be appointed for the investors to contact and implement the projects. The projects that can be easily implemented will be identified first. It was also decided to appoint a consultancy for project implementation and technical and legal evaluation through a transparent and competitive tendering process.

A Project Management Centre will be opened and Project Execution Team formed to expedite them. The meeting also decided to hold review meetings fortnightly at the department level and once a month at the government level.

Tourism Secretary K Biju said these projects on government-held and private land should be listed separately. The Department will provide all necessary facilities to the entrepreneurs who intend to implement tourism projects on their own land.

A list of tourism projects, proposed on a particular government land will be compiled, and an Expression of Interest (EOI) floated and the selected project after feasibility assessment based on a common Request for Proposal (RFP), will be implemented. The tourism secretary directed all these projects to be shifted to a single-window system for timely completion.

The Centre should check their progress every month and ensure necessary clearance facilitation. A meeting with the Industries Department will be called to implement a single window system for the TIM projects.

The Department will prepare an action plan for the TIM projects and hold the next follow-up meeting in February. The Additional Director of Tourism (General) has been appointed as Convener of TIM Facilitation Centre and Chairman KTIL as Co-Convenor.