Chennai: The beach at the fag end of Fourth Seaward Road, Thiruvalluvar Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, is one of the most frequented spots in the locality.
Here, visitors are seen on the sands walking, sitting and enjoying a quiet time by the waters, but elderly residents sit on pavements. This is due to the lack of adequate seating facilities.
According to many, the poorly-maintained beach needs to be revamped with ample facilities, to make it more people-friendly.
V Balasubramanian, who is a resident here from 1996, says, “In recent times, this beach has been attracting large number of morning and evening walkers. Just like how the Thiruvanmiyur beach was developed, this one too can be remodelled, without causing inconvenience to locals.”
“Benches can be arranged, lighting increased, and a police booth can also be set up, to create a conducive environment. All this can attract visitors, who mostly prefer the shore at Thiruvanmiyur, which is a car-free zone on weekends,” he said.
Another resident and a regular visitor opined, “The street lights are often vandalised by unknown persons. After dusk, tipplers settle on the pavements and prostitution is rampant. During the day, several couples can be seen behind the garbage bins. It is embarrassing for us to bring our children here.”
Even as police patrolling is done, many alleged that the uniformed men are hand-in-glove with miscreants and thus turn a blind-eye to the illegal activities, that are underway.
“In many other beaches, residents have donated concrete benches in memory of their parents. A similar plan can be adopted here,” felt a few.
However, some residents are against the idea of developing the space. “If this place is given a facelift, it would make way for more visitors. It would then be commercialised by vendors and all sorts of play equipment would be set up, making the entire beach chaotic. All this would disrupt the calm of the neighbourhood,” they stated.