Butt road beach in Kozhikode to shimmer anew soon

The renovation works, currently underway at the Butt road beach under the headship of the Harbour Engineering Department, will come to a close in two weeks.

Installation of ornamental lights is complete now with the lighting up of all the murky corners.

The beautification works, which remained pending for long months, have now come to the final phase with a recently sanctioned fund of Rs.5 lakh by the State government. Cleaning work, too, is in full swing with the support of labourers and nearby residents’ forums.

Parking facilities

On completion, there will be better parking facilities and shelters for the visitors. P.G. Rajeev, secretary of the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), says the department has already appointed security men round-the-clock to guard the tourism spot and prevent all defacement attempts from anti-social elements in the future.

“We will take over the entire operations of the spot after the renovation works,” he adds. Along with the ongoing beautification works, the DTPC will also look into the scope of opening a cafeteria at the spot.

According to officials, it will be of great use to the people, as no quality refreshment facilities are currently available at the spot.

The department is likely to float tenders for opening the cafeteria.

DTPC officials confirm that a mega beautification project worth Rs.40 crore, too, is on the anvil for Butt road beach as part of its further expansion to the status of an approved tourism destination in Kerala.

The plan, proposed by A. Pradeepkumar, MLA, will mainly look into the possibility of linking this untapped beach destination with other potential tourism centres within the city limit and protecting it through an arty fencing work, they add.

The neglected beach now comes to the track of development after several years of appeal by the local people and the constant media reports on its poor maintenance.

Till very recently, it has been a hub of miscreants who vandalised many of the previously beautified facilities.

No security men have been posted at the location though the defacement attempts continue uninterrupted. Ornamental lights and the rain shelters were always the soft –targets of anti-social elements.