In 2008, Yatish Baikampady, an entrepreneur from Mangaluru, came forward to manage a beach under the public-private partnership model when the local administration floated tenders for it.

In 12 years, the project has helped save many lives and also made other States to adopt this model.

The concept was to use the local community in managing and developing beaches in the region. Traditional rights of the local people are not affected under this initiative. Under the Panambur model, the operator took all the responsibilities of managing the beach, he said.

Prior to the implementation of this model at Panambur near New Mangalore port in Mangaluru, local administrations elsewhere hired other agencies for beach management.

Local involvement

Yatish Baikampady, Chief Executive Officer of Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project (PBTDP), said that the project has been able to change the face of Panambur beach with native resources and without hurting the sentiments of the local people, particularly the members of fisherman community.

Highlighting the lifesaving activities at the beach, he said most tourists, who are visiting the beach for the first time, get enamoured by the atmosphere and some of them venture into the sea for swimming, and sometime accidents happen.

Prior to the beach management initiative, Panambur beach was witnessing around 20 deaths every year. But, subsequently, lifeguards of PBTDP have saved over 300 lives at the beach in the last 12 years. They have also participated in rescue operations during floods in the region.

He said PBTDP holds a number of national and international events, including boat races, international kite festivals, beach festivals and surfing competitions among others.

He said after completing its lease period, PBTDP is not managing the beach now. Now it is managing Someshwara beach in Dakshina Kannada district and Kaup beach in Udupi district.

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