Blue Flag team to visit on March 15
Visakhapatnam: National representatives of the Denmark-based Foundation for Environment Education, who issue the Blue Flag certificate, would arrive here on March 15 to restore the Blue Flag status of the Rushikonda Beach here.
The status had been temporarily suspended on February 13.
Vice president of the Rashtriya Life Saving Society, George Makasare, and member Biswajeet conducted a safety audit at Rushikonda beach here on Tuesday. Regional director of AP tourism development corporation, Gedela Jagadeish, and senior officials of the corporation were present. Safety audit is an important parameter for getting Blue Flag certification.
The two-member team interacted with the lifeguards, verified their certificates, the name of the issuing authority and its validity. The team later met the district collector. Notably, the WHO had issued guidelines for beach-related activities to ensure prevention of drowning deaths.
Giving details about the inspection, the newly appointed regional director of APTDC Gedela Jagadish said two vans and four personnel from GVMC were deployed at the beach to prevent the stray dog menace on the beach, removed the huts from speed boat area and the operators were told to pitch umbrellas in their place. The parking area has been completely streamlined on the entry and exit from the beach with the help of police and GVMC officials. The entry road would be open round the clock but the exit road would be closed for visitors.
The trial run for the entry and exit would be conducted on Thursday with the help of the traffic police. Seven lifeguards trained in Goa would be present on the beach from 6 am to 8 pm in two shifts.
Notably, the Blue Flag was first granted to this beach in 2020, and it was renewed in October 2024 after compliance with necessary guidelines. However, a control visit by Blue Flag India on June 29 last year noticed lapses in infrastructure and services. This led to the temporary suspension notification on February 13. The authorities were given 10 days to take corrective actions.
