The Public Works department (PWD) rest houses at major tourist destinations in the State are set to get better facilities with the government drawing a comprehensive plan for their revamp.
In the first phase, the rest house at Fort Kochi, one of the prominent tourist destinations in the State, will get a facelift at ₹1.45 crore. The PWD rest house adjacent to the Fort Kochi beach consists of two buildings, built in 1962 and 2006 respectively. As part of the renovation, the rest house buildings will be given a modern makeover even while preserving their heritage value.
Public Works and Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas after an inspection of the facility two years ago promised to renovate the structure. The Minister then announced a renovation mission to give a complete facelift to the PWD rest houses across the State.
Next in line
Apart from Fort Kochi, the government has plans to revamp the rest houses at Ponmudi in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrithala in Palakkad, Meppadi in Wayanad, and Mattannur in Kannur. New rest houses being built at Koothuparamba in Kannur, Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad and Kundara in Kollam would be opened soon, Mr. Riyaz said.
“Renovating these rest houses is expected to accelerate the growth of tourism in the State. With the revamping, the rest houses will have better facilities. This will, in turn, attract more people,” the Minister said.
The PWD had earlier transformed the PWD rest houses into people’s rest houses by making them available to the public through online booking since November 1, 2021.
