Tourists flag absence of lights, toilets at Manapad beach
TIRUNELVELI: A lack of public lighting infrastructure has turned the Manapad Beach, which witnesses a footfall of hundreds of visitors and devotees frequenting the St Holy Cross Church, vulnerable to anti-social activities, posing a severe risk for the safety of tourists at night. Further, several tourists have flagged a severe lack of basic amenities at the spot, including sanitary complexes, parking area, and garbage bins.
Panchayat staff members said the Tangedco removed corroded power cables several months ago, but has yet to restore them. With no light, crowds start to thin out soon after dusk falls, and individuals consuming liquor occupy several areas along the shore. J Franklin, a tourist from Meignanapuram, said the beach, at several points, is overrun by empty, discarded liquor bottles.
A senior Tangedco staff member told TNIE that the removed cables had gone missing, and a fresh estimate has been proposed for cabling, with the works to be completed in another 10 days. Disproportionate to the number of visitors a day, the area completely lacks proper streetlights or high-mast lamps, besides not having shelters, sanitary complexes, garbage bins, among other essential amenities. Many tourists bathe in the sea, but find it difficult to change clothes as there is no dressing room, especially for women.
A former panchayat member said that a temporary bathroom was built near the well, which is severely inadequate. “We had appealed to the district administration to revamp the Manapad Beach, but it fell on deaf ears,” he added. Another tourist, G Shanthi, said the sandy path leading to the chapel and Xavier’s cave from the St Holy Cross Church must be rebuilt from the ground up, with more lamp posts installed.
A tourism official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that an earlier proposal to revamp the spot was dropped after opposition from local residents over potential threat to their culture. If the local residents cooperated with the district administration, a fresh proposal for the same could be submitted, the official added. (caption:Electricity poles erected without power cables at Manapad beach | express)
Coastal charm
Manapad village, located 18 km south of Tiruchendur, is well-known for its beach and century-old churches, where St Francis Xavier had stayed in the 16th century. The sea is calm around the south of the cliff and violent on the northern side, and it attracts hundreds of tourists, with the footfall growing during the weekends.