Puri: Great news for tourists! The Golden Beach in Puri, along with seven others, has been recommended to the International Jury (Denmark) for the prestigious central ‘Blue Flag’ certification. The central government has recommended these spots for the certification under the Beach Environment and Aesthetic Management System (BEAMS) program.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in a tweet, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar for nominating Puri’s Golden Beach for this most coveted certification.
“Thank PM Shri Narendra Modiji and Minister Prakash Javdekarji for recommending the Golden Beach in Puri along with 7 other beaches in India to the International Jury for the coveted global eco-label—Blue flag certification in the forthcoming tourist season under the BEAMS program,” tweeted Pradhan.
BEAMS has been religiously working for the development of the beach. The Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), functioning under BEAMS, has so far spent Rs 8.5crore in two and a half years to develop the beach with all facilities for the tourists and to give it a permanent tourist-friendly environment.
Notably, an 870-metre-long stretch of the beach from Gandhi Ghat to Mayfair Hotel has been identified as ‘Blue Flag Beach.’ The earmarked beach has a safe bathing zone for tourists, pedestrian tracks, huts, decked chairs and, last but not the least, a safe and secure ambience. The administration is mulling over its early opening to public.
According to Golden Beach, nodal officer, Anant Kumar Sahu, a beach management committee meeting was convened August 28 to discuss on administrative and managerial aspects of the Golden Beach.
For the development of the beach, the district administration had handed the land over to Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP). The initial budget was Rs 12crores. It was then decided that the central government would spend Rs 10crores and SICOM, the rest Rs 2crores.
The Golden Beach receiving the prestigious ‘Blue Flag’ certificate will largely depend on the report of an expert team that will visit the beach for inspection and then submit its report.
PNN