Observing that Andhra Pradesh has become the host for events of international stature, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday said that plans were afoot to develop the State as a tourist destination in the days to come. He, along with Union Minister for Tourism K. Chiranjeevi, inaugurated the three-day Kakinada Beach Festival at the Vakalapudi beach here.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy said after hosting the 19-day international conference on biodiversity successfully, the State was now gearing up to host the World Agriculture Congress in Hyderabad.
“I have a special liking for East Godavari and that is why a good number of programmes have been launched from here. As we have Mr. Chiranjeevi with tourism portfolio, we can focus more on developing the tourism sector in the State,” he said, adding that an extent of 30 to 40 acres of land would be allocated to the proposed beach park. Mr. Kiran Reddy advised people to keep the beach clean.
Mr. Chiranjeevi said the beach festival would become an annual event in Kakinada, as there was no other mode of entertainment was available for the people here. “Connecting the age-old temples in the vicinity, a temple circuit would be developed at an outlay of Rs. 7.8 crore,” he said. Amidst thunderous applause, Mr. Chiranjeevi said the Vakalapudi beach was as beautiful as the beaches in Goa, Chennai and Puri and felt that there was an immediate need to develop infrastructure. “Then only this beach can attract tourists from outside and provide livelihood to the local people,” he said.
The Chief Minister laid the foundation-stone for the incubation centre building at the IT-SEZ at Sarpavaram and inaugurated the Infotech office building at Sarpavaram. He said the government was keen on improving the quality of education and bridging the gap between institute and industry. Union Minister M.M. Pallam Raju, Ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Vatti Vasanth Kumar, Pinipe Viswaroop, Tota Narasimham, Ganta Srinivasa Rao and local elected representatives and officials were present.
