Berhampur: Gopalpur has geared up to hold Beach Festival-2017 from Sunday.

"A series of events, including cultural shows, charukala, pallishree mela, handloom and crafts fair, trade fair, food festival and so on will be held in the five-day beach festival," said Gopalpur MLA and chairman of the festival committee Pradeep Panigrahi.

The district administration and police are organising the festival with an aim to draw tourists to the serene Gopalpur beach resort. The tourism department has also included the five-day period in the tourism calendar of the state. Panigrahi said steps were being taken to publicise the local art and culture as well as that of other parts of the country in the festival.

But, the district administration has kept the Ganjam District Hoteliers' Association at bay from the festival. "The association launched the Gopalpur Beach Festival in 1996 to promote tourism and culture. But, we have been driven out from the festival since last three years by the district administration," said its president Uma Shankar Panigrahi.

According to the programme schedule, Indian Idol fame from Odisha Ananya Nanda would perform on Sunday. Forty platoons of police would be deployed at the venue to maintain law and order.

Efforts are on to set right the public toilets, including the one near the bus stand and another near the pandal, that have been lying defunct. The organisers have arranged 10 parking slots in the town for the visitors.

"The road from Dura Square up to the Gopalpur College has plunged into darkness as there are no street lights. It would create rush hour problems," said Dura resident Sudam Mahanty.