Kollam, July 21 (Reporter) The comprehensive design policy being implemented in the state will strengthen the tourism sector significantly since it envisages turning public spaces and physical assets sustainable, durable, and aesthetically appealing for visitors, Tourism Minister PA Mohamed Riyas has said. The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the works to beautify the space under the railway overbridge near SN College in the city to turn the neglected site into a pleasing public amenity. The launch of the project also marked the integration of tourism schemes with the innovative design policy. “This project shows how unused public spaces could be creatively transformed into spaces for relaxation and entertainment for local people as well as tourists,” Riyas said. There are many unutilised spots like this across the state which could be turned into people-friendly spaces by leveraging the Design Policy for planning and development, he said. The project will be completed before the year-end and handed over to the city as a New Year gift in 2025, Riyas said. Since unused places are shunned by the general public, they tend to degenerate into frequents of anti-social elements, drug peddlers, and garbage dumping grounds. This social menace could be tackled by turning such spots into public parks or sports grounds. Implementation of the Design Policy will secure this goal, the Minister said. Presiding over the function, M Noushad MLA, said innovative projects of Tourism Department have imparted fresh momentum to the tourism sector in the state. The project being inaugurated will be completed within the time frame set for it since all the procedures to start the work have been completed, Noushad said. The Rs two-crore project, which has secured administrative sanction of the Tourism Department, will lead to the development of a 70-cent site. The recreational facilities on the site will benefit the youth, children, and the elders alike. The plan envisages walking tracks, street furniture, food kiosks, courts for games such as badminton and basketball, a chess block, a skating area, an open gym, and yoga-cum-meditation centre. The blueprint for the project is drawn up by KTIL and Habitat Group has been selected as the Project Management Consultant. Kollam Municipal Corporation is entrusted with the management and maintenance of the facility in association with DTPC and the Departments concerned...////...