Five more beaches in Odisha to vie for Blue Flag tag

Bhubaneswar: After receiving Blue Flag status for the Golden Beach in Puri, Odisha Government has set its eyes on winning the international certification for five more beaches to draw more tourists.

By developing five more beaches including three in Puri district, the State is going to add an important chapter to the map of beach tourism to meet international standards.

The State Tourism Department has prepared a blue print for the proposed redevelopment work at five beaches — Pati Sonapur and Haripur in Ganjam district and Niladri, Muhan and Jahania in Puri district.

Of five beaches, while the development work of Niladri beach has almost reached the final stage, the project will begin soon at four identified beaches, an official source in Tourism Department said.

The project is being carried out in coordination with the Department of Forests and Environment. At the initial stage, there is a provision of around Rs 1.5 crore for each beach. As soon as the beaches are developed meeting the criteria The Department of Tourism has said it will pay more if needed. As soon as the beach is completely developed, the Tourism Department will apply for the status of Blue Flag, the Department informed.

The Department made it clear that the beautification work of beaches will be made with no adverse effects on the environment focusing on developing an eco-friendly tourism infrastructure. There will be toilets, tourist seating, solar lighting system, watch towers etc. at beaches. However, no permanent building will be constructed at beaches.