More Blue Flag Beaches planned in Odisha
More Blue Flag Beaches planned in Odisha
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Bhubaneswar: Following the enormous positive response to the Blue Flag beach in Puri, the State Government has announced plans to redevelop five other beaches in various districts to meet international standards.
“As part of its efforts to boost beach tourism, Odisha is developing five more beaches to secure Blue Flag certification. Plans are being rolled out to meet international standards for Pati Sonapur & Haripur in Ganjam & Niladri, Muhan & Jahania in Puri,” Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said through twitter handle on Sunday.
According to sources, the five beaches will be redeveloped jointly by the forest and environment department and the tourism department. Pilgrim city Puri will become the best beach city in not only Odisha, but also eastern India, after achieving the Blue Flag status for its beaches.
The Tourism Department will apply for Blue Flag certification shortly following the completion of beach beautification and other infrastructure projects, according to the source.
There will be toilets, tourist seating, solar lighting system, watch towers etc. at beaches. However, no permanent buildings will be constructed at beaches.
Puri's Golden beach was awarded the coveted Blue Flag accreditation by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) on October 11, a first for Odisha. The Puri beach is close to a 500-meter beach. It's between the Bankimuhan and the Mayfair Hotel.
Former Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy, Tourism Secretary Vishal Dev, and IFS officer Sushant Nanda developed and oversaw the project, while then-Puri Collector Balwant Singh saw it through on the ground.
Now, Puri's District Collector, Samarth Verma, and his team are aiming to expand the number of Blue Flag beaches.
