Govt starts work on 65 lighthouse tourism projects

Government proposes to develop close to 65 lighthouses located along its coastal belt as places of tourist interest under the public private project (PPP) mode.

According to ministry of ports, shipping and waterways, the 65 light house sites are spread across 11 states and union territories. These would now be developed as lighthouse tourism projects with construction of world class tourist infrastructure by the private sector.

The government has already amended the Marine Aids to Navigation Bill that removes archaic provisions governing lighthouses in the country and allow for development of modern facilities to convert these heritage sites into prime tourist destinations.

In the state of Kerala, where 10 lighthouse projects have been identified for development as tourist places, 11 private stakeholders including Mascat Beach Resort, Swami Shipping and Hospitality, Impresario, Grant Thornton have shown interest to develop the lighthouses as places of tourist interest.

Out of 10 lighthouses identified for tourism projects in Kerala, work on six are expected to start soon as all these have secured the mandatory coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearance. The remaining four lighthouses fall under “No Development Zone” (NDZ), which do not permit construction of permanent structures.

Completion of the projects is scheduled in two years from the date of obtaining CRZ clearances and approval of the Department of Town and Country Planning.

Of the 65 lighthouses developed for development as places of tourist interest, the maximum 13 are located in Gujarat. Tamil Nadu has 11 projects, Kerala 10, Andhra Pradesh 9, Maharastra 5, Karnataka 5, Odisha 5, West Bengal 3, Andaman and Nicobar 2 and Lakshadweep and Goa 1 each.

Some of the lighthouses have heritage value and built with limited technology but still guiding ships moving in high seas. With the development of tourist infrastructure in some of these structures, these lost structures are set to become popular once again.