Blue Flag status for Rushikonda Beach only temporarily withdrawn, says Collector

Clarification on false reports of Blue Flag certification revocation for Rushikonda Beach by Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad.

Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad, on Sunday, clarified that reports claiming that the Blue Flag certification for Rushikonda Beach had been revoked which went viral on social media platforms, were false.

Speaking to The Hindu, he said, “It is wrong to state that the Blue Flag Certification has been cancelled. There is only a temporary withdrawal of Blue Flag status primarily due to crowd management and traffic issues. The Blue Flag status is likely to be restored soon after completion of the safety audit [conducted by the Royal Life Saving Society] scheduled on 4 March 2025.”

“In fact, we are making additional efforts to improve the condition of the beach. I have also held a meeting with stakeholders to ensure that the beach becomes more tourist-friendly with facilities of higher standard,” the Collector said.

The social media posts claimed that the beach had lost its Blue Flag status due to poor maintenance and that some people have complained to the authorities concerned, like the Denmark-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), about issues like dog menace, dirty and faulty toilets, and a non-functioning surveillance system, among others.

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation corporator Murthy Yadav said: “As per the Blue Flag International Compliance Protocol, the flag must not be raised on the beach, and a notice should be placed on the beach notice board informing visitors about the temporary withdrawal. Only after the concerned authority/beach operator informs the National Operator of re-compliance with the criteria (with appropriate documentation) can the flag be allowed to be raised again.”