'CRZ regulations causing hurdles to beach tourism'

The Coastal Regulatory Zone Act should be relaxed as it is causing hurdles to various tourism projects in Karnataka, Minister for Tourism and Higher Education R V Deshpande has said.
Addressing a meeting on Coastal tourism here, he said the CRZ provisions should be relaxed to facilitate development of areas close to beaches for boosting beach tourism.
The State Government had requested the Union Environment and Forest Ministry to relax CRZ rules up to 90 metres from the
existing 200 metres in 44 beaches in coastal Karnataka, he said at the meeting yesterday.
Deshpande also said the Karnataka government would formulate a new tourism policy and introduce Tourism Facilitation Act to promote tourism potential in the State. The department had framed the draft of a new tourism policy based on suggestions of experts and it would soon be placed before the Cabinet.

The proposed Tourism Facilitation Act is formulated to bring in transparency and clarity in the system and to provide better infrastructure facilities for tourists, he said.