KOCHI: With restrictions on entry to the Fort Kochi beach, Kochi’s residents are moving to new beach destinations for New Year celebrations. Despite being underdeveloped, beaches like Valappu, Kuzhupilly and Cherai have been witnessing heavy rush in the last few days.
“With the cancellation of Cochin Carnival, the influx of visitors to Fort Kochi has reduced drastically this season. Due to Covid restrictions, most of the shops are yet to be opened. Besides, police officials have allowed entry to the island only till 7pm. All these factors have pushed the families to opt for other locations,” said Kannan V K, a home guard deployed at the beach.
Considering public patronage, many NGOs and student organisations have started cleaning up beaches in and around the city. “A team of 20 students, who are Students’ Federation of India (SFI) members, cleaned up Kuzhuppilly beach on Monday.
We are witnessing unprecedented support from families and many have joined us in the cleaning works. Though it wasn’t planned, we have managed to clean up the entire beach and biodegradable wastes were disposed of throughout the day,” said Sooraj N S, SFI Vypeen area secretary.
Apart from public interventions, government agencies have also started the cleaning drives in the coastal regions of Kochi. “The Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-HED) members have been cleaning up different parts of Fort Kochi and Vypeen to ensure clean and safe New Year celebrations for the public.
Twenty-four workers are engaged in the activity for over eight hours these days. We have managed to collect tonnes of water hyacinth and plastic waste from the sea. With the cleaning drive, we are hoping that the public can enter the beachside without any fear,” said C-HED official.