The proposed beach love festival on Valentine's Day comes under fire as local authorities say it will not allow indecent programmes.

Beach Love Festival, the nomenclature itself for an event being planned to be held on one of the city’s beaches between February 12 to 14 next, incidentally the last day being Valentine’s Day, sparked strong protests, and government officials and the Minister himself who looks after the affairs in the city, are forced to come out with explanations.

The festival was proposed by Positive Global Services and Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. of Mumbai and its track record of holding such a festival in Goa in which bikini-clad women have participated and facilities like music, dance, etc. having been provided pushed the festival proposed in Visakhapatnam into a lot of controversy.

One report said that 3,500 couples would be provided a tent each on a 10-acre area on the beach (the exact beach is not specified), famous pop singer Shakira would perform live and many other top singers would also participate and it is almost clear that liquor would flow freely.

Women’s group stages protest

Locals feel that such festival might be acceptable to Goa where it is common to see foreigners frolicking on the beaches, but for Visakhapatnam is unacceptable. YSR Congress MLA RK Roja said the festival cannot be held at any cost and BJP’s Floor Leader and local MLA P. Vishnukumar Raju said he would not allow it to happen notwithstanding the fact that his party is coalition partner in the State. The day saw AIDWA’s State president B. Prabhavathi calling it is a shame on the part of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to conduct such a programme for the sake of attracting investments and promote tourism while AP Mahila Sangham held a demonstration near Gandhi statue near Central Park. District secretary A. Vimala demanded that the government immediately drop the proposal. More protests are likely. As their statements failed to convince people, HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao held a press conference and tried to keep the government above criticism.

“The government is keen on growth of the State in all areas but it does not allow it at the cost of our culture and traditions. We will now allow the beach festival to damage the brand of Vizag and we will not allow indecent programmes there,” he said.