Tourists on Paradip beach

Paradip, Aug. 22: The pristine sea beach here has turned unsafe for humans with a spurt in drowning cases. The restive sea has claimed four lives last week alone.

An increase in the roughness of the sea close to the coastline here is considered as one of the various reasons that have made the beach unsafe.

Four persons drowned while taking a bath in the rough sea on the Independence Day. The deceased persons also included a tourist from Bihar. Onlookers watched helplessly as mighty sea waves swept them away despite the best efforts by local fishermen to save them, said inspector of Paradip marine police station Bhabagrahi Rout.

Some local residents expressed disappointment over an alleged absence of safety measures for tourists on the beach.

“A beach should have the provision of lifeguards and rescue divers. But here, we do not have any such provisions,” said Dipti Prakash Pattnaik, a resident of the town.

The sea has claimed 18 lives here in recent months. The beach in Paradip has accounted for 13 human lives, while five drowning cases took place on the nearby Siali beach, said a marine police officer.

“The 2-km-long beach, stretching from Hanuman temple to Sandakhuda in Paradip, has been identified as a critically-vulnerable zone. The one-km shoreline at Siali has also been categorised as danger zone as the sea is often restive there. These areas are very risky for sea bathing,” said district tourist officer Arabinda Jena.

The tourism department has erected signposts and billboards on the beach in Paradip and at Siali issuing statutory warning on sea bath. However, many people do not pay heed to the notice of caution issued by the administration and take the risk of venturing into unsteady seawaters, the official said.

“A proposal has recently been sent to the government to ensure the safety of people on the beach here. We have suggested establishment of a public facility shelter both in Paradip and at Siali. The shelter will have life-saving gadgets to meet with any exigency. We are also planning to engage local sea fishermen as lifeguards for the safety of the tourists. A request has also been made to the port trust to provide the required land for the project,” said the tourist officer.