An incident pertaining to Padubidri, a blue flag beach in Udupi, Karnataka came to light on social media where a person was seen offering Namaz at the beach. Shruti Thumbri was the first to share the video on Twitter capturing the event.
Yesterday it was in Jharkhand, Today Karnataka!! (Padubidre blue flag beach – Udupi)
— Shruthi Thumbri 🇮🇳 (@Shruthi_Thumbri) March 15, 2021
A Group of Muzlims threatened to security guard saying what's wrong with this? Is there anything written here? It's public property so we will do Namaaz here only.!@ShefVaidya @UnSubtleDesi pic.twitter.com/i02CmiGrNK
Videos circulating on social media suggest that when the security guard and civil society members present at the Padubidri beach objected to the Muslim groups’ action and urged them to move outside public premises, they brazenly it out saying, ‘What have I done wrong? Should I not do Namaaz? We will do it since it’s a public property, who are you?’ They even asked the members to show a board where such rule was written.
The ‘blue flag’ is an international certification offered by an eminent jury that comprises of members from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Kappad (Kerala), Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasarkod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands) are the eight beaches in India that have been awarded the prestigious ‘Blue Flag’ certification.
A 42 page document details 33 criterions to be followed to award a beach a blue flag certificate. Non-compliance of a single criteria could result in the flag being withdrawn temporarily or permanently. It is critical to note that India is the only nation to have been awarded 8 flags in a single attempt.
The Blue Flag comprises of a long list of criteria and regular checks are conducted to ensure the beach deserves the award. Not all rules can be written on boards and this is where we as citizens need to showcase civic sense.
