Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Minister’s maiden visit to Pozhikkara beach

Photo: S. Gopakumar

TAKING STOCK: Minister for Tourism Kodiyeri Balakrishnan walking on a floating bridge in the Veli tourist village on Monday to inspect the facilities on the Pozhikkara beach. —

Thiruvananthapuram: Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan made it a point to visit the Pozhikkara beach to get a first-hand experience of the facilities there during his maiden visit to the Veli tourist village.

Mr. Balakrishnan visited the beach on Monday after inaugurating the ‘Ente Theeram’ coastal protection project of Kerala Tourism under the tsunami rehabilitation scheme at the village.

The decision to visit the beach by walking on a floating bridge despite inclement weather took the officials and the police by surprise. Only a handful of mediapersons were present when Mr. Balakrishnan started moving towards the beach.

“This is an excellent beach and I have never been here,” he said on reaching it. V. Surendran Pillai, MLA; Cherian Philip, chairman of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation; Sanjay Kaul, District Collector and Director of Kerala Tourism; and Sheikh Parikh, Chief Engineer of the Harbour Engineering Department, accompanied Mr. Balakrishnan.

Mr. Balakrishnan talked to the three lifeguards who were on duty and asked them about the working conditions. To the query ‘How many lives have your saved so far?’ senior lifeguard Bhuvanachandran said he alone had rescued over 20 tourists.

The problems faced by tourists on account of water pollution and lack of lights on the beach were pointed out to Mr. Balakrishnan by Mr. Pillai.

Mr. Balakrishnan took note of the dilapidated walkway in the tourist village and the lake covered by water hyacinth.

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