Tourist places were abuzz with picnickers in the district. Being the last Sunday of the 'Karthika Masam' the footfalls were high at almost all the places compared to previous weeks.
Beach Road stretch from Naval Coastal Battery to Bheemili witnessed a huge rush since morning. A large number of families, children from various schools, colony associations and groups of friends thronged Kailasagiri, Tenneti Park, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP), Kambalakonda, Thotlakonda, Mangamaripeta, Mudasarlova and other places apart from Rushikonda, Yarada, Bheemili and Appikonda beaches.
The revellers had lunch in the parks, played various games and participated in fun games with their family members and friends. Simhachalam temple also witnessed huge rush and to ensure free flow of devotees, additional queue lines were arranged by the Devasthanam officials.
The IGZP has received a tourist footfall of 17,905 on Sunday alone. The zoo has earned a revenue of ₹9.15 lakh, said Curator Nandani Salaria.
Traffic congestions
Police personnel had a hectic day monitoring the traffic flow at the tourist spots. The stretch between Jodugulapalem to MVP Apughar witnessed traffic congestions as picnickers parked their vehicles beside the roads. Auto-rickshaws and several private jeeps, vans were seen plying with more than the permitted number of persons.
Meanwhile, with the mercury dipping gradually in the Agency, there was a huge tourist rush at Araku, Ananthagiri, Lambasingi, Chintapalle, Paderu and a few other places. The waterfalls at Ananthagiri, Chintapalle and Devarapalle mandals saw increased footfalls. On Sunday early morning, Chintapalle reported a minimum temperature of 16.7° Celsius, according to the Regional Agriculture Research Station (RARS), Chintapalle.
According to APTDC officials, all the rooms in Visakhapatnam city as well as Agency areas saw 100% booking this weekend and this is most likely to continue as the winter sets in.
The rush is likely to continue on Monday, the last Monday of ‘Karthika Masam,’ The Tourism Department officials said.
