Chhatrapur: After the Puri beach, the state government has initiated efforts to obtain Blue Flag Beach status to Haripur(Gopalpur) and Sunapur beaches in Ganjam.
The government has made an outlay of over Rs 1.16 crore to develop Haripur beach so as to boost beach tourism. Meanwhile, the tourism and culture department has granted over Rs 58.06 lakh.
Besides, a plan outlay of Rs 1.36 core has been made for development of Sunapur beach while Rs 68.43 lakh has been sanctioned by the tourism department.
Various development activities of the two beaches will be completed in six months.
To hasten the development work, beach management committees have been formed. Sunapur and Haripur (Gopalpur) beaches were cleaned while they are expected to draw domestic and international tourists, it was said.
It may be noted that an eminent international jury comprising members of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) usually awards coveted ‘Blue Flag’ certification to beaches across the globe on the basis of certain parameters.
PNN