A soothing silence grips the air as the health-conscious lot enjoy their early morning walk admiring the cool and placid waters of Bay of Bengal shimmering in the first rays of the sun. The far away murmur of the waves moving back and forth, birds chirping in the background and the sea breeze caressing delicately, Dutch Layout draws you close to the nature.
Residents of the area take pride in being part of the posh locality as they have got every convenience that they can wish for amidst the urban jungle.
The neatly laid residential colony, connecting the road from Kotak Salesian School to the area surrounding Visakha Museum on the Beach Road, is spread over 10 acres with 13 blocks in which 12 of them are occupied with tastefully built apartments. With each complex having a minimum space of 25 feet between each other, the flats are well ventilated with sea breeze coursing in abundance.
A mix of technocrats, businessmen, Navy personnel, railway employees and government officials live in perfect harmony for decades. The unique feature of the colony is that there is no independent house over here. As the history of the Dutch Layout dates back to 1988, residents of the colony say the origin of the place traces to some 300 years ago where the Dutch House was the only building there. Over the decades, the Dutch House has been renovated as Visakha Museum keeping the uncanny charm of the ancient world alive.
One of the first residents of the colony, Y. Sreerama Murthy recalls, “VUDA acquired the area in 1988 and auctioned the plots to a bunch of builders. Each of the 12 blocks has about 45 apartments making it to a total of 540 flats. As most of the residents enjoy the perfect sea view, the locality gained prominence when the apartment culture was something new to the city.” The first block was titled as Dutch Apartment which came into being in 1990 followed by another construction called Sea Surf Apartment within three months. Soon, a host of apartment complexes dotted the lanes. With a blend of owners and tenants residing in the area since long, colony residents say they don’t wish to move out.
“The place is surrounded by medical stores, schools, hotels, fish market, super bazaars and fast food joints. Easy accessibility to every store makes one think twice before considering relocating to any other area,” says Aloke Dutta, secretary of the Mayuri Beach Apartment.
Although there is no welfare association in place, people bond over morning walks to sort out issues. For those who are stifled from the unremitting stress, the colony offers an ideal residential locality.
