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Constructions on beach trigger row

Staff Reporter

BERHAMPUR: Environmentalists and hoteliers are at loggerheads over the state of beach at Gopalpur beach resort.

Both groups entered into a verbal duel at a seminar organised by the Beach Protection Council of Orissa (BPCO) at Gopalpur over the issue at Gopalpur on Tuesday.

Jagannath Bastia, president of the BPCO, who also happens to be a member of Orissa State Coastal Zone Management Authority (OSCZMA), alleged that norms of Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) was being violated both by private hoteliers as well as the State government at Gopalpur.

Charges denied

According to him during the last decade six new constructions have come up on the beach beyond the road near the beach at Gopalpur which is violating CRZ norms. These constructions include the `Panthanivas' constructed by the Orissa State Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) and the new Youth Hostel. Mr. Bastia cited the example of children's park at Gopalpur beach which was washed away by high tide. This park had violated CRZ regulations.

But members of the Ganjam District Hoteliers' Association, present at the seminar, vehemently opposed Mr. Bastia with the allegation that environmentalists like him were not letting development of beach resorts to happen in Orissa. The president of the association, Umashankar Panigrahy, and its secretary, Santosh Kumar, said beach resorts like Gopalpur have started losing tourists due to opposition to developmental works at beach to attract tourists. They cited examples of Goa and Vizag where hotels have been constructed within a few meters of the beach.

Mr. Bastia said if the beauty of a beach gets spoiled by constructions then in the long run it would lose tourists. Since 2003 the BPCO has written to the government to take action against the constructions at Gopalpur beach. But no action has been taken although after a field inspection the former director of environment of the state had accepted that illegal constructions violating CRZ norms had been done at Gopalpur beach.

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