Stress on improved safety measures at Kothapatnam beach

Ongole : Prakasam district joint collector Ronanki Gopalakrishna has directed the officials to implement stringent safety measures for tourists and fishermen at Kothapatnam Beach.

During a meeting held at his office here on Thursday, attended by Coastal Security Addition-al SP GBR Madhusudhan Rao and Additional SP (AR) Ashok Babu, officials discussed compre-hensive safety protocols including the deployment of lifeguards, patrol boats, and warning boards at the beach.

JC Gopalakrishna highlighted the availability of ISRO-developed transponder devices for fish-ing boats under the Prime Minister’s Matsya Sampada Yojana scheme with a 40-60% subsi-dy. These devices help track boats during storms and adverse weather conditions. He em-phasized the need to create awareness about these devices among the fishing community. Marine Police Station Circle Inspectors S Sambasiva Rao from Kothapatnam and G Sivanna-rayana from Ramayapatnam presented proposals for preventing accidents involving beach tourists.