The Hindu 04.05.2010
Parking, sanitation a problem at Marina
Ajai Sreevatsan
CHENNAI: As the heat wave sets in, an exodus to the airy beaches becomes an evening routine. But ancillary facilities such as parking and sanitation remain a big challenge for the thousands frequenting the beach.
S. Sadasivam, who regularly visits the beach with his friends, says: “Parking facilities are thoroughly inadequate. Some of the playgrounds and college grounds just across the road from the Marina beach service lane could be opened up for parking to ease the pressure here.”
Since there are only a few approaches to the service lane, he said parking could easily be regulated. “Only a certain number of vehicles must be allowed into the lane. Congestion on the service lane destroys the ambience of the beach.”
Apart from lack of adequate space, haphazard parking is also a major issue. “I sit right here inside my car on the service road, but never get a chance to go to the beach,” says P. Vinod, driver of a private taxi. “If I leave even for a few minutes, someone else will park their vehicle, blocking my exit.” Not much attention is given to the hygiene and sanitation levels at the innumerable stalls that have mushroomed along the beach, says A. Sudharshan, a stall owner.
Admitting that parking has become unmanageable, a Corporation official said: “The number of floating vehicles shoots up during summer. Some kind of coordinated strategy has to be evolved.”
