Floating Bridge, Parasailing & other Fun Facilities Launched at Panambur Beach
Mangaluru: The 125-metre-long floating bridge to the sea and parasailing are among the new things made available for tourists by the Kadali Beach Tourism at the Panambur beach. These new facilities were formally inaugurated by Speaker U.T. Khader. Kadali Beach Tourism, a unit of Bhandary Builders, bagged the tender in 2022 from the district administration to maintain the Panambur beach. Lakshmish Bhandary, Managing Director of Bhandary Builders, and Raajesh Hukkeri, a dental surgeon at A J Hospital & Research Centre, have floated the Kadali Beach Tourism firm.
Inaugurating the new facilities, Speaker U T Khader said, “I am happy to note that these two persons, Lakshmish Bhandary and Dr Raajesh Hukkeri have chalked out plans to introduce new fun facilities at the Panambur Beach. With thousands of visitors coming to this Beach during the week and weekend such fun facilities are needed so that revellers feel happy and enjoy their visit to the beach. The state tourism department will also cooperate with Kadali Beach Tourism and plan more activities and entertainment in the future. People should make use of these facilities, which are specially introduced for their leisure pleasure”.
Bhandary briefing the media said that the firm intends to have a range of activities at Panambur Beach that will increase footfall at the beach and thus boost the tourism sector. On average, around 5,000 people visit the beach daily. The number of visitors has drastically increased in the last seven days and a record number of 22,000 people visited the beach on December 22. The floating bridge was laid after a year-long study by experts on the waves at the beach. We found this beach safest for the floating bridge as the waves here are not very intense. We did a trial of the floating bridge for 10 days before opening it to the public a week ago.”
He further said, ” A maximum of 100 persons are allowed for a session on the bridge and feel the sea waves. Every person on the floating bridge will be wearing a safety jacket. The firm charges Rs 150 per head. The floating bridge will be available at the beach till the onset of monsoon. The floating bridge at Panambur is the second such facility in undivided Dakshina Kannada. The floating bridge facility was first started in Udupi’s Malpe beach. Kadali Beach Tourism has also started parasailing. Interested persons will be taken in the boat for a few metres in the sea where the parasailing is conducted. This too started after a detailed study. The firm charges Rs 1,000 per head for parasailing. The firm has also started “Disco Ride” wherein people sit in a big tube which rolls on the waves”.
Dr Hukkeri said, “Within a week we will start scuba diving near the place where the Den Den cargo ship sank 16 years ago. This place has been found ideal for scuba diving. In another six months, our firm intends to open 44 food stalls where a wide variety of cuisine will be made available to tourists. The firm is working towards opening a beach resort with 48 cottages in another two years”.
