Plans afoot for a safe Kovalam

Tourism department to install automatic number-plate recognition cameras to catch culprits who flee in vehicles after thefts and other crimes, provide better lighting and other facilities
Domestic and foreign tourists at the Kovalam beach in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday | Vincent Pulickal
Domestic and foreign tourists at the Kovalam beach in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday | Vincent Pulickal

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the tourism season only a few months away, preparations are in full swing at Kovalam —the iconic tourism destination — to receive more domestic and international visitors. After a gap of two years, Kerala Tourism has launched aggressive promotional campaigns across the globe and in India to woo more tourists and revive one of the worst-hit sectors during the pandemic.

According to officials, the destination has already started receiving tourists from neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. To scale up surveillance and ensure the safety of tourists, the tourism department has decided to install 10 ANPR (automatic number-plate recognition) cameras at various points leading to the destination.

Following the sensational missing case of 33-year-old Latvian national Liga Skroamne, the department had installed around 50 CCTVs in various parts of the beaches. But according to officials, these alone will not serve the purpose as offenders speed away leaving the police clueless as it’s not possible to identify the number plates of their vehicles.

“Theft cases happen at the beaches often. The valuables of tourists go missing when they leave these unattended. Even if we get the CCTV footage, the robbers flee in vehicles and due to lack of surveillance cameras on the road, we miss the vehicles and it takes more time to locate them. Missing cases also get reported. Hence, we have decided to install ANPR cameras, which would give us a clear picture of the number plates so that we could track the vehicles down easily,” said a police official.

The cameras are being installed at a cost of Rs 75 lakh. These will be installed at Vellar Jn, Azhamkulam Jn and other roads leading to the beach tourism destination. According to officials, the installation of ANPR cameras at Vellar jn is very essential as the movement of container vehicles would be more when the Vizhinjam Port gets commissioned. “Accidents, rash driving etc can be prevented on the stretch,” said the official.

Police aid posts, mini high-mast lights planned

In an effort to scale up safety and security, the tourism department is planning to install more street lights, mini high-mast lights, renovate the hand railings which are in a dilapidated state and give proper fencing at selected locations at the beach immediately. The plan is to complete all the projects within three to six months.

The authorities are also planning to set up more police aid posts at the destination to assist the tourists. “We have completed the renovation of pathways. The lack of proper lighting is a major concern and we are planning to address it immediately by installing solar lights,” said an offiial.

The department is planning to install eight mini high-mast lights in various parts of the beaches. “The existing high-mast light at Hawa beach is on the verge of collapse. We have invited tenders to dismantle the light. We will be installing more mini high-mast lamps,” said an official.

The authorities are also planning to replace the dilapidated hand railing with new ones from Kovalam Jn to Palace Road. “We are planning to install six-foot high barbed wire fencing at Suicide Point at Kovalam to ensure safety of the tourists. The project is estimated to cost around `35 lakh. All these projects would be completed within six months,” said the official.

Solar lamps to be replaced with hybrid lights
With around 55 solar lamps installed by the department lying defunct owing to technical glitches, it is planning to install hybrid lights which will function using both solar power and electricity. “The street lamps get easily damaged in coastal areas. The solar lamps do not function properly during rains and many of them are not functional. Hence, we have decided to replace them with hybrid lights which will function with both electricity and solar energy,” said an official. The project is estimated to cost around D75 lakh and is under the consideration of the Directorate of Tourism.

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