Mangaluru: Youths turn beach into tourist spot during lockdown

MANGALURU: The lockdown that was clamped in March has changed Idya Beach near Surathkal into an attractive tourist spot, thanks to the efforts of local youths.
The beach, which was a place to dump waste for many, has now been turned into a beautiful place with benches, children’s play area and a place to celebrate birthdays and small get-togethers. A giant replica of the PSLV rocket on the beach, adds to its attraction. This was made possible through the efforts of youths from the locality, with the support of donors.
It was Jayakar Salian, a videographer by profession, who mooted the idea of cleaning up the beach surrounding their house, and he shared the idea with 12 of his friends. “ During the initial days of the lockdown, we discussed about doing something to make holidays fruitful. Hence, the idea of cleaning up the beach and giving it a new look was mooted. Initially, we cleaned the beach by removing all the waste, and later brought an earthmover to level the nearly 100m long beach expanse. Later, various projects were planned each day,” Salian said.
A hut was constructed at the entrance to the beach, and a thatched roof gopura was also built to attract people. Meanwhile, a play area with slide, swings and sea-saw was developed for children. A giant replica of the PSLV rocket was installed at the beach to foster an interest in science among children.
“We spent money for all the works from our own pockets. We are yet to calculate the total expenses incurred. When we approached the Mangaluru City Corporation, mayor Divakar sanctioned a high mast lamp for the beach. We have plans to extend the project by cleaning more areas of the beach, to make it more attractive,” he added.
Appreciating the efforts of the youths, Mangaluru North MLA Dr Y Bharath Shetty has decided to bring in funds from the government to provide more facilities at the beach.