Local body’s NOC no longer needed to start adventure tourism ventures in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram:  Providing a boost to adventure tourism in the state, the Tourism Department in Kerala has decided to allow the launch of such ventures without obtaining an NOC (no-objection certificate) from local bodies. The move follows widespread complaints regarding denial of NOC by local bodies citing flimsy reasons.

However, all adventure tourism operators in the state have to mandatorily register with the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Council (KATPC), said the Tourism Department order which abolished the requirement of obtaining NOC while starting a new venture.

Incidentally, the Kerala Panchayat Raj and Municipality Rules carry no mention about granting NOC to adventure tourism activities. The Tourism Department found that applications for NOC were being rejected citing this reason. Subsequently, the Tourism Director wrote to the government to remove the clause related to seeking NOC from local bodies as it was absent in the panchayat and municipality rules. This clause will now be removed from the Kerala Adventure and Activity-based Tourism Safety and Security Guidelines and Kerala Adventure and Activity-based Tourism Safety and Security Guidelines – Camping.

Meanwhile, the government has warned adventure tourism operators that failure to register with KATPC would lead to closure of their businesses. Currently, there are 50 ventures engaged in 32 adventure tourism activities in Kerala. These operators offer land, air and water-based activities.