Alappuzha: The Ports Department has initiated urgent safety measures at Alappuzha beach following the incident in which an 18-year-old girl died and her friend was seriously injured when a temporary roadside shop collapsed during heavy rain and strong winds.

As part of it, authorities have begun demolishing unauthorised structures near the makeshift shops on the beach. Shop owners have been instructed to dismantle all illegal constructions, including tin-sheet roof extensions and other unsafe additions.

The Ports Department had issued licenses to operate 117 temporary shops on the beach. However, those licenses expired on May 25, and the fatal incident occurred the following day. Licenses for these stalls are renewed every two years. However, officials have now decided not to renew the licenses of any shop found violating safety norms.

In the interest of public safety, licenses are only granted to mobile, four-wheeled temporary stalls that can be quickly removed in case of natural calamities. Despite this, many shopkeepers had constructed permanent or semi-permanent extensions to expand their shop area. The Department has now ordered the immediate removal of all such unauthorised structures.

The victim, identified as Nithya Joshi, lost her life when the shop collapsed on her as she and a friend took shelter from the heavy winds.

Youth undergoes surgery
Adarsh (24), son of Jayaraj from Ailattuveliyil near Kalavoor, who sustained grievous injuries in the accident, has undergone an emergency spinal surgery.  He is currently being treated in the Surgical ICU of a private hospital in Vaikom. The youth has sustained severe central nervous system injuries and is currently bedridden.