Rushikonda Beach from paradise to hell

-
We are the world champions in destroying our natural assets.
Please see attached news items

"Burning trash is turning off visitors at city's famous Rushikonda beach" Times of India dated 23rd Apr 2018


and

Centre purposes relaxation of CRZ norms" The Hindu dated 19 Apr 2018


...............................
Now with a move to dilute the CRZ regulations, apparently to appease the tourism lobby (see attached news report) we are walking into trouble with our eyes wide open.

Look what has happened to our once pristine *Rushikonda*. We unleashed our tourism department on the beach - no doubt with good intentions - and ruined it overnight. Everywhere the tourism department goes the place gets filthy and in no time has lost its charm.
We see foreign travel shows on TV and think that we can replicate the scene here as if it all happens automatically by magic.
We do not understand that after the infrastructure is set up , after the overpaid consultants, after the grandiose engineering, after building all sorts of things- there must follow *management interventions* on the ground. Revenue models must ensure that these places can sustain themselves. Lack of management is so obvious in whatever the tourism department does.
We are now running our tourism department with those not from the tourism industry. Government officials from various departments come on short stints. They are intelligent but not cut out for what requires holistic marketing and management skills.
Until we get real tourism professionals with international exposure, to do this type of work we will fail in tourism. We would have spent crores and crores on balloon festivals and yacht festivals and will have nothing to show for it.
In the bargain we will ruin our most beautiful assets, our beaches our hills, our waterfalls for ever. Until we develop a mature tourism set up and a strong sustainable tourism policy we should not fiddle around with our beaches.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Science of Urinals

-
Image
The science of urinals The high urinals Have you noticed how high urinals have become? Walk into a men’s restroom and look at the urinal. You will find that it is perched high on the wall, challenging your ability to deliver your stream accurately into it. I have seen it in offices, restaurants, cinema theatres, bus stands, railway stations and umpteen public places. In the old days even our airports had these high mounted urinals. Now with better standards the new airports and multiplex toilets are built to international standards and they have the urinals at the right height. I have been wondering why the urinals are built so high so I interviewed some urinal attendants, plumbers and contractors. Here is what I found Their logic goes like this...  The urinal must be high because if you delivered a stream into a low urinal it would somehow splash out of it on to your trousers and chappals. Instead if you delivered it high, it would only wet your shirt To pr
Read more

Whats your pole number?

-
Image
Whats your pole number? Do you know your pole number? You know ... that electrical pole outside your apartment or villa? If you do not know, then as a good citizen, go down and take a look. What do you see? Does it have a number on it?  I don't mean the number of the packers or movers, or the friendly local electrician. I mean the number of the pole itself as allotted by GVMC or EPDCL. Why would you need the pole number? Well, if the street light is not working in your part of town, you will have to call a GVMC  number to lodge a complaint. To do this you will first have to know the street light not working complaint number.  This telephone number is not displayed anywhere prominently for the general public to see. Going by how few people know this number I assume it is a top secret classified number . But, have no fear, I will reveal it to you. The number is   155304 . However if you call the number to lodge a complaint, they will ask you for your POLE NUMBER. You will plead
Read more

Vizag's famous and historical Kurupam Market gone for ever

-
Image
It is with great sadness that I inform you that our beloved and historic Kurupam Market gateway towers have been demolished by GVMC last week.  The market was donated by Raja Vyricherla Veerabhadra Raju of Kurupam to the then Vizagapatam Municipality on September 1, 1914, to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII. As it was Going Gone I am told that a new building is planned there. Only two weeks ago INTACH had offered to provide expertise to restore the iconic clock tower arch way but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears. It is very unfortunate that this monument was brought down without public consultation. Our uncouth city administration has driven another dagger into our city's rich heritage. No doubt a  monstrosity  will come up at the spot. It will be typical of Vizag's public buildings, no dignity, no class. No doubt that our heritage will die a little more.  One wonders who these ruthless, insensitive and heartless people are who are
Read more