KOZHIKODE: City Beach, the most popular space in the city where thousands spend their evenings has been encroached by vested interest groups in the recent past. People from all walks of life have protested at the trend which is against the will of the citizenry.
It is to be recalled that though district collector N Prasanth had intervened against the conduct of programmes by private groups at the beach, it proved futile as the organizers bagged permission in advance and sought legal remedies.
Most of the members of the public contacted by Deccan Chronicle said that the beach should be kept intact and protected from any programme that needed construction of any kind.
“It is a place where people gather together in large numbers and like the Mananchira ground it is the other most sought after place by the public in the evening”, said Brazilia Shamsudheen, Corporation councilor.
“Those who want to conduct programmes can choose either the Marine Ground or some other places beyond the city beach”, she added.
The greens of the city also shared their concern over the issue. The Green Hope society secretary KK Shaju told DC that this year the trend was high.
“We suspect, there is connivance of officials that resulted in the continuous and recurring misuse of the city beach”, he added.
Even political parties should be prevented from encroaching into the city beach in the name of party programmes, said Sony Sebastian, a businessman in the city.
Meanwhile the city corporation is confused over whether it has any right over the city beach and its premises.
Mayor AK Premajam told DC that there should be public intervention for liberating the city beach, from the clutches of greedy private players.
“We have taken up the issue seriously and have already informed the seriousness of the matter at various levels including to the port authorities and district administration”, she said.
“We were not intimated about the constructions for conducting an exhibition and when we inquired, we were told that the port authority had already given permission. Why were we kept in the dark over such issues affecting public interest?, asks the mayor.
