Visakhapatnam: After a long hiatus, tourist spots to reopen for public soon

Visakhapatnam: As many commercial units call it 'business as usual' amid unlock 4.0, tourist spots across Visakhapatnam are preparing to reopen for the public in a few days.

In line with this, Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) is pulling out all stops to ensure safety for the visitors arriving at tourist spots that remained closed for more than five months due to the coronavirus.

A committee has been formed by VMRDA Commissioner P Koteswara Rao to make necessary arrangements at tourist places that come under VMRDA's ambit in alignment with the Covid-19 safety protocols.

Given the footfalls registered in Kailasagiri, YSR Central Park, TU 142 Aircraft museum, INS Kursura submarine museum and Tenneti Park, among other places, the committee will come up with the safety norms to be followed for the tourists. "Currently, reopening TU 142 and INS Kursura may not be that safe. A review meeting will soon be held with the Naval officers to take a decision in this regard. When it comes to the operation of the ropeway towards Kailasagiri and the train uphill, trial runs will be done initially before allowing the tourists as they were kept closed for quite a while. Once the authorities consider them safe for the visitors, their operation will recommence," tells Koteswara Rao to The Hans India.

Normally, the expected footfalls at Kailasagiri vary from 2,000 to 3,000. However, the authorities concerned intend to restrict the number of entries to 500 in times of the pandemic. For safety reasons, the doors of the food courts at tourist spots will remain shut for a while.

Besides, the officials concerned are taking up sanitisation measures at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Central Park. Visitors will have to be armed with masks and sanitised before stepping into the premises. Based on the distance to be maintained between individuals, the entries for the musical fountain will also be trimmed.

The number of visitors will gradually go up once TU 142 Aircraft museum and Kailasagiri ropeway start functioning. VMRDA officials are considering all safety standards before keeping them open for the public.