Puri beach connect: Tourists demand more toilets, changing room facilities

With the rise in the number of arrival of tourists to the 'Golden Beach', the Puri district administration has come up with a ‘beach connect’ initiative to keep the beach clean. Under the beach connect initiative, special measures will be taken to clean up the beach.

Apart from this, several recreational activities like dance, yoga, volleyball and quizzes will be held on every alternate Sundays.

The Puri municipality has also set up a suggestion board which is now being used by tourists to highlight several issues. Meanwhile, a tourist has written, “There is a need for more toilets and changing room facilities, especially for the women.”

“The administration should create a safe bathing zone as there has been a rise in the number of drowning incidents,” wrote another tourist.

It is pertinent to mention here that a tourist got washed away in the strong current of the sea while taking bath with his minor son yesterday.

On the suggestion board, several tourists have voiced for deployment of more lifeguards at the beach.

Puri Collector Samarth Verma said, “The beach connect initiative has been undertaken to keep the beach clean with the help of public, tourists and officials. Several recreational activities including yoga, volley ball and quizzes will be held.”

According to Verma, the main goal of the special initiative is to create awareness. “The lifeguards also gave demonstrations and the tourists are also being sensitised on responsible beach behaviour. We are planning to deploy more lifeguards,” Verma added.