Flag staff on Puri beach pulled down for tourist safety

Puri, Apr 21 (UNI) The age old flag staff located on the Puri beach and popularly known as ''Digabareni Khunti'' among the locals, was pulled down yesterday as a safety measure.

The high rise structure was in a shambles posing threat to the locality and the congregration of tourists near the beach. The flag staff, used since the British days, was presently used by the weather department and by the ministry of shipping and surface transport.

The hundred feet pole built in strong steel was a historic monument and had an emotional attachment for the locals. The installation of a number of old cannons and one huge anchor on its base was an attraction for visitors.

The weather department had been using it till date to notify the fishermen about the warnings through display of symbols on the flanks of the this great pole.

Laxman Reddy, a fisherman who expressed his unhappiness over the pulling down of the pole, said, ''we always looked at it for signals to know the weather condition.'' Most of the residents, however, initially opposed the idea of pulling it down but the authorities said it had no other option but to dismantle it.

Over years of gross neglect, the pole started corroding in the saline climate and was precariously perched with the support of stray rods.

Since the area is thickly crowded for the nearby Gandhi park and the beach the district magistrate had asked the concerned directorate to remove the structure at the earliest.

UNI DP PL SS1725