Karnataka to draw up plan to develop tourism with private partnership, says minister HK Patil
Belagavi, Dec 5: There are about 25,000 "worthy monuments" in Karnataka that the state has not been able to protect and a plan will be drawn up to develop tourism with private partnership, Tourism Minister HK Patil said on Tuesday.
Patil was responding to questions by MLAs during Question Hour in the assembly.
"There are about 25,000 worthy monuments in the state, we have not been able to protect those; so we want to attract the private sector and reap the benefit out of it by creating basic infrastructure facilities, among others," Patil said.
Noting that the tourism department has been and is taking active steps to attract private investment and promote ease of doing business, he said efforts are underway for attracting private investment in 26 areas.
The minister also highlighted the programmes to promote tourism in the areas of adventure, agriculture, recreation, caravan, culture, cultural village, eco, heritage, homestay, hotel, houseboat, museum and gallery.
He said a plan to adopt memorials is underway, along with providing basic facilities at tourist spots.
Coastal districts such as Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada have a lot of scope for adventure tourism and there is interest in it, he added.
Responding to a question from Malavalli MLA PM Narendraswamy, Patil clarified that inspection work is being done to start cable cars at Yellammanagudda, Madhugiri, Anjanadri, Nandi betta and Gaganachukki, along with technical and financial viability, and the work may begin once the report comes.
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Kerala: Court imposes 41-year jail term on man for sexual assault of minor
Kozhikode (Kerala) (PTI): A Kerala court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 41 years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor boy near Valayam in 2021.
Nadapuram Fast Track Special Court judge K Naushad Ali sentenced 64-year-old Panchara Musa, also known as Ganapathiyat Musa, under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), according to special public prosecutor Manoj Aroor.
As the sentences are to run concurrently, the convict will have to serve the highest term of 20 years’ imprisonment, SPP Aroor said. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 52,000 on Musa.
The incident took place in August 2021 when the accused allegedly took the 14-year-old boy to a bus stop in Valayam town and sexually assaulted him, the prosecutor said. The accused also gave Rs 50 to the boy, he added.
Following the incident, the boy and his father lodged a complaint at the Valayam police station.
A case under various provisions of the POCSO Act and the IPC was registered, and the accused was subsequently arrested, the SPP said.
The prosecution examined 16 witnesses and submitted 16 documents to substantiate its case against the accused, he added.
