Officials provide 108 ambulance for walkers at RK Beach from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. in Visakhapatnam

Round-the-clock ambulance service is required at the beach, say walkers’ associations

For the first time, the State government has provided a 108 Ambulance service, exclusively for beach walkers, on the RK Beach Road here. The vehicle is parked near GVMC Aqua Sports Complex from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. for the beach walkers or for any other emergency services on the beach road.

The Visakhapatnam district administration has made the service available in response to the request made by the members of the Beach-Walkers Friends Association (BFA) and Visakhapatnam District 101, a walkers’ club, on December 9, 2022.

Many walkers and beach visitors have appreciated the prompt response from the State to provide the facility that can be used for emergency cases on the beach road. Being a favourite hangout spot of the citizens and tourists, the beach perpetually needs 108 ambulances round the clock due to incidents of drownings in the sea and road accidents. According to the city police data, nearly 60 drownings have been reported from the RK Beach in the last six years.

Former Deputy Mayor and member of the BFA, Dadi Satyannarayana, said that thousands of walkers regularly go to the beach for fitness. Women, pregnant women, children and senior citizens are also part of the beach walkers from different corners of the city. Apart from this, foreigners and people from other parts of the country are also joining the beach walkers, he added.

“Since RK Beach has an international reputation and is visited daily by foreigners besides being tipped to be the next Executive capital of the State as per the Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s plans, the 24-hour ambulance facility is required at the beach. The same matter was put before the Collector and other officials, who encouraged our pleas and offered daily services from 4 am to 8 am and promised to implement 24-hour service at the beach in future,” Mr. Satyannarayana said.

Founder-president of East Shirdi Sai Walkers Club Y. Venkata Narasimha Rao said that since a drinking water bottle costs from ₹20 to ₹25 per litre, the State government should also set up protected drinking water kiosks on the beach road. This facility would also also be useful for visitors and tourists, he added.

Every day more than a thousand beach walkers from other clubs like Beach Walkers Association, Sea Shore Walkers Club etc go to the beach on the road from NTR Statue via YSR Statue to the VMRDA Park.