Danger lurks at public beaches

Visakhapatnam/ Vijayawada: A day after the six youngsters were swept away off the Yarada beach, the authorities have begun taking stock of the safety measures at public beaches in the state.

Manginapudi and Chilakalapudi beaches at Machilipatnam of Krishna district and the Suryalanka beach at Bapatla in Guntur district have a long history of lives lost and families left grieving, due to poor safety measures.

According to available data, about 30 people drowned off Suryalanka beach in the past one year. Similarly about dozen people were washed away in the waters of the Bay of Bengal at Machilipatnam.

While the Bapatla police installed a picket at Suryalanka beach to warn the public about the depth of sea, visitors who come from various near and far areas on the weekends still venture into the sea. The district administration is yet to act tough like its counterparts in Visakhapatnam have.  

The authorities decided that dangerous beaches in Vizag city would be closed for the public and only safe beaches would be allowed.

Visakhapatnam district collector Pravin Kumar on Monday held a review meeting with officials of GVMC, VMRDA, Police, Indian Coast Guard and a few other departments in the wake of the loss of six teenagers at Yarada beach.

A total of 40 beach visitors lost their life in various beaches in Vizag city in 2017 and this year (2018) so far 30 people drowned.

Vizag police commissioner Mahesh Chandra Laddha and officers from Coast Guard, Indian Navy and Rashtriya Life Saving Society were present.

Expressing concern over the drowning deaths in Vizag city, Mr Pravin Kumar said that an action plan was being chalked out to prevent drowning in the beaches. He said experts would be roped in to identify safe beaches and the remaining beaches where the rip current his high, would be closed for public.

Though the Vizag district administration chalked out many plans to mitigate drowning deaths, many remained on paper only due to various reasons. The much needed appointment of lifeguards and swimmers remained unresolved. The recurring expenditure of paying their wages became the main problem, Mr Pravin Kumar said.  

A district-level committee is also being formed with members drawn from tourism, revenue, police and fisheries departments to prevent drowning, the collector added. The collector asked the GVMC commissioner to install CCTV cameras and warning boards as part of a Smart City project.    

Mr Laddha said that drowning deaths dent the image of Vizag and there was an urgent need to address the issue. The police will cooperate with the administration in safeguarding the lives of the people.