Visakhapatnam all decked up for International Yoga Day celebrations

Workers prepare Vizag for International Yoga Day with beautification, lighting, landscaping, and sanitation efforts across the city.

Hundreds of workers have been working tirelessly over the past week for the International Yoga Day celebrations in the city scheduled for June 21.

For the first time, the 28-km Beach Road stretch from Bheemunipatnam to RK Beach is being beautified for the mega event.

Workers have been instrumental in laying yoga mats along the route, installing decorative lighting at the key junctions, undertaking landscaping works, and maintaining sanitation, all playing a crucial role in readying the city for the global event.

K. Raju, a resident of S. Rayavaram in Anakapalli district, has been working with a team of workers to lay green mats along the stretch from Jodugullapalem towards Rushikonda and Bheemunipatnam. For the past several days, they have been putting in about eight hours of work each day, with a one-hour lunch break.

“When we were informed that the entire Beach Road needed to be covered with a green mat, we were surprised. But later, we realised the magnitude of the event in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to participate. Vizag is going to host a global event,” said Mr. Raju, adding that a thin transparent sheet is being placed over the mat to protect it from rain.

Meanwhile, many groups of workers have been engaged in painting grills, footpaths, and road medians along several kilometres, giving the entire stretch a vibrant look.

Separate teams have been trimming the overgrown saplings. Electricians have been busy installing lights and illuminations at the major junctions, ahead of the high-profile event.