Ranchi: A Jharkhand govt delegation led by state tourism minister Sudivya Kumar visited Karnataka to study its management model for tourism and forest-linked assets, including those operated by Jungle Lodges & Resorts (JLR).During meetings with Karnataka ministers on Thursday, the delegation discussed the possibility of bringing JLR on board as a knowledge partner to improve the operation and maintenance of tourism facilities in Jharkhand.The discussions covered JLR’s institutional management system, manpower planning, procurement of materials and services, service standards and coordination between forest and tourism departments. Officials also discussed the possibility of signing an MoU and preparing a joint roadmap.“Successful tourism models adopted in other states can be studied and adapted to Jharkhand’s requirements. Better management of existing tourism assets and improving services for visitors are among our priorities,” Kumar said.Human-elephant conflict was another issue discussed during the visit. Jharkhand had earlier proposed procuring six trained kumki elephants from Karnataka to help deal with elephant-related conflicts. Karnataka has given in-principle consent to the proposal, according to the Jharkhand govt, with further modalities to be worked out by the two states.The delegation’s visit comes as Jharkhand seeks to improve management of its tourism infrastructure while drawing on practices followed by other states.
