Costambar closes its beach to Easter visitors

just hang AGGARWAL AT the beach front!!!

hang him

As a business owner & full-time resident in Costambar, this story worries me.

The official APC statement from their website is copied below ....

"TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.

The Board of the Association of Proprietors of Costambar, Inc., wants to reaffirm that it has never been its intention to impede or interfere with the free entrance of visitors to the beach, contrary to what has recently been stated on local newspapers.

The only statement made to the press was that due to the repairs of the access road into Costambar and the strong probabilities of rain, APC was conscious of the fact the access road would be in the worst conditions, thus forcing families with children to walk as much as 2 km in order to reach the beach, from where their bus may have parked. In view of such knowledge, the Board considered its duty was to forewarn the beach-bound citizenry of this situation and did so.

We want to reassure anyone concerned that our Security Department along with the National Police, will be taking the necessary measures to control all types of weapons and maintain public order, as has been the case in past years.

APC"

Costambar is a multi-cultural community with many Dominicans living & working here side-by-side, peacefully with foreigners.

I personally wish Mr Aggarwal would study the leadership style of his countryman Mahatma Ghandi rather that modelling himself on George W. Bush.

The title and the thrust of the above article entitled "Costambar closes its beach to Easter Visitors" is totally false. I never gave an interview to any reporter or any person except the one copied hereunder in which I said or insinuated in any way that the Costambar beach was closed to Easter visitors. APC or the Association of Property Owners of Costambar issued a written press release informing those who normally come to the Costambar beach during holidays that because of the reconstruction of the access road to Costambar parking for buses was difficult if not almost impossible and therefore those arriving in buses were advised to visit other close by beaches to avoid undue inconvenience and difficulties. At no time did I or anyone else from APC make a statement or remotely insinuate that the beach was closed. In fact, the beach is open and APC has made funds available to provide additional security on the beach to ensure the safety of those who come to the Costambar beach during Semana Santa.
It is unfortunate that yellow journalism is well and alive, especially on the web and that those who take upon themselves to copy material from other sites do not take the trouble to check the authenticity of the contents and are thus responsible for spreading misinformation if not out right lies.
Yash Aggarwal- President of APC

News Paper Article on COSTAMBAR – Puerto Plata Habla – April 1, 2010

(Not an April Fool Joke)


COSTAMBAR, Puerto Plata.- The residents of the tourist zone of Costambar invest every year 5 Million Dominican Pesos in salaries of employees who work in keeping Costambar safe and clean as well as for other expenditures, so said the president of the Association of Property Owners of Costambar (APC) Yash Aggarwal.

Aggarwal, however, underscored the fact that a certain number of foreigners who reside in Costambar and own apartment buildings or other properties – whom he did not name- do not pay a cent towards the upkeep of Costambar but enjoy all the amenities, and that he was studying various measures to force them to pay their fare share.

Aggarwal explained that 70% of the APC budget is spent on salaries and benefits of its 25 employees, 17 of whom work in providing security, 7 work in maintenance and cleaning of common areas as well as collection of garbage, and one in administration – all of whom work deligently for the Benefit of the community.

He elaborated that APC pays the municipality of Puerto Plata a monthly fee of RD$30,000 amounting to RD$360,000 per year for the right to deposit the solid waste produced by its residents and visitors.

Yash Aggarwal said that the security situation in Costambar in the past was precarious, but has improved significantly during the past tour months because of the valiant efforts of the men who work in APC’s Department of Security and because of the excellent collaboration by the Nacional Police – to the extent that successful roberies in Costambar have virtually disappeared.

The head of the organization responsable for the management of Costambar further revealed that in coordination with the vice-minister of Tourism, Cesar Jose de Los Santos, APC is working to improve the Costambar beach for the benefit of all with the aim of making Costambar among the premier tourist projects in the North Coast.

Aggarwal revealed that because of lack of funds the streets of Costambar cannot be resurfaced and that he was appealing to the Mayor of Puerto Plata and the Governor of the Province to intervene with the ministeries of Tourism and Public Works to include Costambar in the current plans to resurface the streets of Puerto Plata.

Decrease in Contamination

The President of APC, Yash Aggarwal, declared that because of the valiant efforts of the APC Borrad and members under the leadership of their e-xpresident and businessman Jose Polanco the contamination from the San Felipe power plant has been cut down by 50%.

Nevertheless, Aggarwal held out the hope of all the residents who live around this power plant that some day Costambar will be virtually free of contamination from the power plant so that Dominican and foreign investors who were forced to leave Costambar because of the pollution from the power plant may one day return to Costambar.