Tourists recount horror tales from their visit to Chaparai

Visakhapatnam: At a time when the government is making efforts to boost tourism in Visakhapatnam, the lack of basic amenities, such as clean toilets in tourist hotspots like Chaparai waterfalls and Padmapuram Garden in Araku Valley has been putting off tourists.

“During my recent visit to Chaparai, I was told there is no

washroom

at the spot. I was asked by the locals to use a small dirty make-shift shack, which had no commode or water facility,” said Poornima, a tourist from Odisha who visited Araku recently.

Another tourist from Visakhapatnam, Padmavathi, pointed out, “After taking a bath in the

waterfall

, I noticed that there were no changing rooms. I had to remain in my wet clothes till I reached the hotel.”

She added, “Every visitor pays Rs 10 as an entrance fee at the waterfall, but there are no basic facilities for tourists.”

The condition of the washrooms is similar at Padmapuram Gardens, also known as Botanical Gardens. Although there is provision for water and lavatories, they are not maintained. “One must carry water inside the washroom. Moreover, it was in such a state that I could not use it,” said Ramana Devi, another visitor to Araku from Vizianagaram.

Speaking to TOI, Balaji, project officer of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), said “Due to some issues earlier the development projects were not executed in Chaparai waterfalls. However, around Rs 25 lakh has been allocated for the development of the waterfall and to cater to the needs of the vistors and tourists. A few projects, which will be executed soon, include construction of washrooms, changing rooms and parking areas.”


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