The beach front at Suryalanka is popular with tourists coming even from Hyderabad and other cities during the weekend. But the popularity of the beach is waning owing to indiscriminate littering of plastic and other material, making it a herculean task for the local panchayat to clean up the beach.
A novel initiative by the Bapatla district administration on Saturday comes as a pleasant surprise to the beach lovers. Collector Vijaya Krishnan along with Superintendent of Police, Vakul Jindal , Joint Collector K. Srinivasu and Suryalanka Air Force Station Station Commander Group Captain R.S. Chaudhary, his wife Sparshita, launched a cleanliness drive as part of Swacha Sankalp.
Plastic waste, rubbish and debris from the coastal area in over about half-a-km was removed by the team led by the officers and instructions had been given to all all cart vendors, small traders to not to carry out their business activities in the designated area.
The Collector said that those violating the orders would be fined ₹10,000. The Collector also said that 10 sanitation workers from the Panchayat department would be deputed to keep the beach clean. Garbage bins had been also set up on the beach. The government revenue would be significantly increased by making it a tourist destination and making it accessible to a large number of people, he said.
Mr. Jindal said that police personnel would also join Swachha Sankalpa programme at Surya Lanka beach with the collaboration of District Collector and other officials from various departments.
“Keeping our surroundings clean is not only the job of municipal workers and sanitary workers, it is the responsibility of all of us, we must keep our surroundings clean ourselves. Garbage, debris and other useless plastic items should be thrown in the trash can,” said Mr. Jindal.
Further, the SP warned that strict action would be taken against those who consumed alcohol and engaged in unlawful activities at the beaches, adding that a special team would be set up on a permanent basis in the Suryalanka beach area to curb such activities. He warned that those found guilty of activities would be fined ₹10,000 and cases would be registered against them under Section 290 of the IPC.
