CHENNAI: Visitors at the Kovalam beach on East Coast Road have demanded that adequate facilities such as additional recliners and RO water purifiers be made available to the only Blue Flag-certified beach in Tamil Nadu.
Awarded by the Denmark Environment Agency in 2021, the Blue Flag certificate attests to beaches and marinas with an eco-label. Facilities such as a safe bathing area, lifeguard towers and a control room, paramedical staff, safe drinking water, recliners, and food kiosks, among others, are provided by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC), which charges Rs 20 on entry.
The Kovalam beach is a hotspot due to its cleanliness and privacy and is promoted by social media influencers, adding to its popularity.
However, visitors thronging the beach have said that recliners are not enough to meet the growing footfall.
“I waited for a long time to occupy a seat. There are multi-seater recliners, while one or two places have two-seater recliners. People who come here are mostly couples. When they occupy the multi-seater recliners, other visitors are hesitant to occupy seats around them. So, the TTDC can add more two-seater recliners. They can also add more umbrellas closer to the water,” P Sridhar, a visitor from Kancheepuram, told TNIE.
Though drinking water is free, defunct RO water purifiers are an additional inconvenience.
“The TTDC can add more water kiosks so people do not have to walk long distances,” said another visitor T Vishnu. For M Roshni, bubble top cans come as an alternative to purifiers, but she felt the quality of food is not on par with the prices that they are sold. “The food is not fresh,” she added.
A senior TTDC official said a new food court is under construction and new recliners can be added.