Beach cleanup drive conducted at Rushikonda Beach in Vizag

One of the most popular beaches in Vizag and the state of Andhra Pradesh, the Rushikonda beach has been a great advertisement of the city’s tourism capabilities. Not only has its tourist footfalls gone up in recent years, but also, it received the prestigious Blue Flag certification back in 2020. But better tourism has drawn more crowds to this beach and more crowds have resulted in the beach gaining waste. Despite the beach maintenance authorities’ best efforts to keep it clean round the clock, the beach is often maligned by lines of garbage on the shores. The common theory is that this garbage comes ashore from the sea and is not dropped by the visitors. But either way, it is an issue that needs to be addressed at the earliest if Rushikonda Beach is to retain its beauty. 

Acting on this, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao headlined a beach cleanup drive at Rushikonda in Vizag on Monday. This drive was conducted as part of the ongoing Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Visakhapatnam Joint Collector (V&WS), P Arun Babu IAS, also took part in this cleanup drive. District Tourism Officer, R Poornima Devi, AP Tours and Travel Association President, K Vijay Mohan, were among others who participated in this beach cleanup drive.

Speaking on the occasion, the State Tourism Minister made note of Vizag’s tourism potential. He revealed that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had given top priority to boosting tourism in Vizag. Minister Srinivasa Rao also talked about the possibility of Rushikonda Beach drawing in tourists from other countries, now that it has bagged the Blue Flag tag. He announced that 13 luxury hotels will be set up in Vizag and other popular tourist destinations in the state. 

During the beach cleanup drive, Joint Collector, Arun Babu, emphasised the need to keep Rushikonda Beach and the other beaches in Vizag clean in order for them to keep drawing tourists. He talked about the vote of confidence given by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for organising the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav at Rushikonda Beach. 

Rushikonda Beach is the pride of our city. Let us do our duties in keeping it clean and beautiful.