CHENNAI: In 2019, the sole staff of the first-aid kiosk on the fabulous Besant Nagar beach suffered a minor electric shock. The reason? The new kiosk, part of the new Rs 11-crore upgrade to the beach, was leaking and the power socket was drenched in rainwater. When the upset staff requested officials concerned to fix the problem, she was asked to use a dry stick to operate the switches. The staff, according to sources, quit the job soon after.
The ‘electrifying’ experience she received is, however, a thin slice of the problems persisting with the beach’s facilities, upgraded by the city corporation in 2019 under the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan project to increase tourist footfall.Under the project, the corporation laid wide concrete tracks, installed first-aid and drinking water kiosks, and constructed e-toilets among other facilities. Within two short years, however, the facilities have become almost defunct due to poor maintenance.
After narrating the incident at the first-aid kiosk, M Selvi, a resident in the neighbourhood, said the kiosk is shut ever since, despite her repeated requests to authorities concerned to reopen it.As for the two water stations, only two taps of the total ten are functional now, with water provided only on ‘request’. When asked, the in-charge of the water kiosks, A Kumar, said: “Vendors at the food stalls here use water from the taps to clean vegetables and vessels. They also fill their large cans, emptying the water tank. That’s the reason behind the decision to open the valve only on request.”
The four e-toilets opposite the Governor’s bungalow, too, are not in good condition. The pay-and-use toilets are not known to many as they are far from the beach. Other amenities like the concrete tracks and play equipment are also broken owing to poor maintenance.
Notably, the corporation went ahead with the project to upgrade the beach facilities despite much opposition from residents in the area. “The fragile coastal eco-system has already been damaged by implementing the project. After the construction, however, the corporation just let the facilities to become dysfunctional. As anticipated, the situation has gone from bad to worse,” said L Ramakrishnan, another resident of Besant Nagar.
When contacted, an official from the corporation blamed “miscreants” of damaging the facilities each time the civic body repairs them. On the the issue of the water kiosks, the officials said they are trying to come up with a permanent solution.
Signs of apathy
The Besant Nagar beach was given a facelift by the city corporation in 2019 under the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan project to increase tourist footfall. Under the project, the corporation laid wide concrete tracks, installed first-aid and drinking water kiosks, and constructed e-toilets among other facilities. Within two short years, however, the facilities have become almost defunct due to poor maintenance