ONGOLE: The Tourism Department constructed three guesthouses, a restaurant and a children's park at Kothapatnam at a total cost of Rs. 20 lakhs to attract more tourists to this beach village.

Inaugurating the park developed by the Horticulture Department at a cost of Rs. 9.5 lakhs, Ongole MLA Balineni Sreenivasa Reddy wished that more facilities were created for tourists. District Collector B. Udaya Lakshmi complimented the Tourism Department for providing basic amenities at reasonable cost to the tourists visiting the beach.

She said Ongole Municipality was developing water world at Rangaraya tank at Ongole on build-operate-transfer basis and it would be ready by this summer. But Ongole-Kothapatnam road lies in such a bad condition that tourists are dreaded to go to the beach. It takes 40 minutes by car to reach the beach which is just 15 km from Ongole.

Mrs. Udaya Lakshmi, however, promised that the road would be repaired soon. Though the three guesthouses are ready, they are not yet thrown open to the tourists.

The panchayat raj guest house is available to officials but not to tourists. Tourists, particularly women, face problems as there are no facilities even for dress change.

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