BACK TO SQUARE ONE

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Good time to extract our heads from the clouds and get back to basics. 

Five crores spent on Balloon festival, net result? Perhaps a hundred real extra tourists on one day at ARAKU!  Cost per tourist?  You work it out.


Five crores divided by 6 lakhs earning citizens of Vizag. How much did each of us contribute through our tax money for that balloon Fest? You work it out!

Big noise about heli-tourism now gone phut!

Interpretation centres - Rs. 1.5 crores each already spent on Thotlakonda and Bavikonda  in 2015- 2016, lying incomplete and unused for 2 years! How much loss of interest in non usable assetd? Our money squandered. Which official is responsible for this?

Meanwhile no functional loos at any of our premium Buddhist sites Thotlakonda and Bavikonda! An apology of a loo at Bojjanakonda.

ARAKU is a rubbish dump, road sides full of defecation, tons of garbage and plastic everywhere. The dirtiest of eastern ghat towns!


Time now for govt to concentrate on basic amenities. Focus on pocket guides, guide training, public maps, information centers, resting areas, top class housekeeping. Every site must be kept clean. Tourism calls the people to these sites and then wash their hands off when it comes to cleaning up. Forget grandiose ideas till the basics are in place. Do stuff that really makes a difference for tourists. Let us be modest and honest,  the bounty of tourism will follow naturally.

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