Beach in ruins, tourism yet to pick up 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After a 20-month-long shutdown caused by the pandemic, almost all tourist spots have reopened in the state. However, rough seas and violent waves have battered Varkala, turning it unsafe for visitors. Almost every path leading to the beaches are destroyed. Destroyed hand railings and pathways connecting the steep cliffs and beaches have turned the destination extremely dangerous. 

Though the tourism department had launched beach tourism infrastructure development projects to provide more facilities, stiff protest from environmental activists brought the project to a halt.  “We have two ongoing projects at Varkala. The Rs 8.3-crore beach area development project, launched in 2019, has been stalled owing to protests.

Another one is Rs 1.3-crore world-class toilet project which is being executed by KITCO Ltd. The project is coming up in municipality-owned land near the beach. Around 10 cents of land is being used for the project,” said an official of the tourism department. “Nirmithi Kendra launched the work (of beach area development) but environment activists alleged violations and hence we had to halt it,” said the official. 

MLA Joy said the project would resume soon. “We may not be able to implement some of the components of the project because of CRZ norms. The harbour engineering department has also raised objections. Beautification, watch tower, seating area, pathways and lighting are some of the components,” said Joy. He said tourism will pick up by next month. “The destination has been shut down for long. Now, we are getting only domestic tourists. We are expecting foreign tourists from next month,” he added.