VISAKHAPATNAM: The district administration did it again! Notwithstanding chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s warnings and the objections raised by environmentalists, the district authorities are undertaking temporary constructions on the Beach Road for the much-touted Visakha Utsav to be held from January 23 to 25.
A couple of months ago, the chief minister expressed his displeasure at the officials over holding the ‘Vizag Rejuvenation’ programme at the Beach Road, in the aftermath of cyclone Hudhud. In several other instances, they were forced to shift the venue after environmentalists raised objections over organising any such events.
But then, the Beach Road seems to have, in a way, become a primary venue for hosting government events and functions, despite the erosion menace that continues to loom large and terrifying.
Conducting festivals and events at beaches is routine in coastal cities, including Vizag until recently. But having woken up to acute coastal erosion that has left the whole city nervous, the idea of the beach as the venue appears to be a risky affair now.
While half of the beach from The Park hotel to the Aqua Sports Complex was eroded by high tides recently, the rest of the area is now being decorated for Visakha Utsav.
“It is downright ridiculous that such programmes are being held at the beach, half of which has already been washed away by surging tides. The sea is still quite rough these days. What if people venture out into the waters at night and drown? Now that public meetings and functions are being held in stadiums and auditoriums, why can’t the government organise the Utsav in the other venues?” questioned K Santosh, a BPO employee from the city.
While that seems a cause for major concern, the traffic congestion that is likely to happen is giving nightmares to the people residing on the Beach Road.
“The traffic proved to be one of the major issues during the Vizag Rejuvenation programme organised recently and we had to face troubles big time to reach our residences. Now that the Beach Road is sprucing up again for Visakha Utsav this time, we seriously hope that the traffic snarls don’t recur,” said P Sudhir, a bank employee and a resident of Beach Road.
However, on the flipside, some beach-lovers are happy that the stretch is being cleaned up ahead of the construction works for Visakha Utsav.
The officials have already cleared up the waste, arranged new dustbins, smoothened the sand surface and constructed new paths, all of which were not carried out until now despite repeated requests from denizens and NGOs and despite the shabby state of the beach in general.
“The Beach Road which was seen disfigured with open drains, littered all over with waste, polyethene bags and animal debris in the recent past, looks pretty clean and green now, all for the Utsav. This clearly shows that the government does not respond to our problems. If at all it does, it must have been driven purely by reason and self-interest,” said R Raghuram, a retired headmaster.
However, GVMC commissioner M Pravin Kumar said that they have decided to take up the Visakha Utsav at the beach as the theme is to promote tourism in Vizag.
“People from Delhi, Bhubaneswar and other cities would be attending the event. However, we are taking extra measures in order to prevent any untoward incidents on the Beach Road,” he added.