Tourists and visitors going to Yarada can soon chill out in shacks and enjoy the scenic beauty of the pristine beach. The AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has initiated construction of a restaurant and beach shacks at an estimated cost of ₹1.5 crore. They are expected to be ready by February, 2018. A narrow winding road going up and down a steep hill takes tourists to the beach, and a diversion to the left goes to the ancient fishing village of Yarada which has been merged with the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC).
Notwithstanding the fact that Yarada is a part of GVMC, it continues to remain cut off from the hustle and bustle of city life. The fishing village, no doubt retains its characteristic charm with tiled houses, open spaces and a village-like atmosphere.
The narrow road, with its edges broken on either side in several stretches, can turn out to be risky for motorists, especially those going by that road for the first time. Motorcycles, cars and other vehicles should be in good condition to ensure a safe ride. Motorists should be doubly careful of the brakes and horn, before they embark on the ‘adventure’. The rider or driver should be adept in manoeuvring the steep and narrow slopes.
The GVMC should take up widening of the road from Scindia side to Yarada Colony and the beach for the safety of tourists and visitors, opine motorists. This is all the more important, as tourists, of late, are hiring motorbikes and cars to drive around the places of interest in and around the city.
Hilltop road
There is, however, a neatly laid hilltop road from Yarada to Gangavaram, on the other side of the city. This road can be utilised by those going to Yarada from Gangavaram, Gajuwaka, Steel Plant and Anakapalle side.
The APTDC also has plans to construct shacks at Mangamaripeta beach. “The delay in the execution of some tourism projects in the city and district is due to the hue and cry raised by various groups on grounds of CRZ and other violations,” says APTDC Executive Director Sriramulu Naidu and asks: “When the activists cry hoarse on temporary constructions on the beach by a government agency like the APTDC, how can one expect tourism to develop?”
