District Collector V. Vinay Chand hoisted the ‘Blue Flag’ at Rushikonda Beach here on Friday.
GVMC Commissioner G. Srijana, District Tourism Officer R. Purnima Devi, Regional Director of Tourism and ED of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation A.V. Rama Prasad and Beach Manager Phanindra were among those who participated.
Rushikonda Beach was one among the 13 beaches in India, and the only one in the State, which was selected by the Union government for development to enable it vie for the prestigious ‘Blue Flag’ certification in the first phase.
It had sanctioned ₹7.3 crore for development of infrastructure.
Amenities like bio-toilet blocks, grey water treatment, water vending kiosks for provision of purified water, solar treatment facilities, construction of walking and jogging tracks, bathing area and a solid waste management unit were provided at Rushikonda as part of the project.
The basic criteria for getting the Blue Flag certification are: safety/security, pollution-free, good bathing water quality and environmental education of beach users.
The ‘Blue Flag’ certification is given by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), when all these parameters are met. “Foreign tourists evince keen interest in visiting Blue Flag beaches. The Rushikonda Beach was nominated for the project in 2017 and it was finalised in February, 2018,” Ms. Purnima Devi told The Hindu in the past.
