The Vismaya amusement park built by the CPM in Kannur

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug. 31: Welcome to a Malayali Disneyland, brought to you by Marxists, not Mickey Mouse.

The CPM today gifted Kerala a Disneyland-like amusement park, with all the twisting water rides and a weekend entry ticket priced at Rs 375.

This is the first time the CPM in the state has set up a theme park, billed a money-spinner. The idea of building Vismaya Infotainment Centre, spanning 30 acres in Kannur, seems to have come from Veegaland, a private park in Kochi, central Kerala, that has become a roaring hit.

Vismaya park, that cost Rs 25 crore to build, will be run by Malabar Pleasures (India) Private Ltd, floated by the pro-CPM Malabar Tourism Development Co-operative.

Water rides make up 80 per cent of the amusement experience. The charges for some rides will be part of the entry fee — Rs 300 a person on weekdays and Rs 375 on weekends.

In Left-ruled Bengal, the charge to enter Nicco Park in Calcutta is Rs 50, and that includes six free rides.

The CPM has said the absence of such a park in north Kerala encouraged it to build the facility. But the target segment seems to be NRIs who come home once a year.

The funds came as deposits from primary co-operatives and individuals who picked up shares at Rs 500 each. Malabar Pleasures (India) Private Ltd has over 2,300 individuals and 140 institutions as investors.

The company expects an average daily turnover of Rs 350,000 from gate collections.

Vismaya park had triggered controversy as there were fears that the project would exploit groundwater for the rides. But Malabar Pleasures dug a pond with a capacity of 50 million litres to harvest rainwater.

At the park’s inauguration today, K.K. Narayanan, chairman of the Malabar Tourism Development Co-operative, said another water-storage unit would be set up.

CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, who opened the park in Parassinikadavu, said those who had spread rumours against the venture, especially about the exploitation of groundwater, should make amends.

“The park is not using groundwater. From the beginning, it was made clear that the park would harvest rainwater to meet all requirements. It has the largest rainwater harvesting facility in the country,” Vijayan said.

The opposition Congress was not convinced. State unit president Ramesh Chennithala said the CPM in Kerala was a multi-national company. “The Kerala unit of the CPM is the best example of neo-liberalism. Only yesterday the Left Democratic Front liaison committee gave the nod to increase water charges in the state. The park needs 25,000 litres of water an hour,” he said.