Deccan Chronicle 24.12.2009

No Baywatch towers for Marina, says civic body

Dec. 23: With beautified Marina unveiled last week, a tug-of-war has begun between city cops and the civic body.

While the police want mobile watchtowers to be set up near the sea, due to growing terror threats to the coastal areas, the civic body is against the move as it thinks it would spoil the beauty of the Marina, considered the second longest beach in the world.

The officials of the city police and corporation had actually come together to ban cricket on the Marina. The police chased away the budding cricketers for the corporation that beautified the beach at a cost of Rs 25 crore though the question as to who actually wanted the ban remains unanswered.

A senior city police official confirmed that the proposal for mobile watchtowers, built somewhat along the lines of those in the Baywatch TV serial, has been sent to the corporation seeking its permission.

“We had everything ready. We had even discussed designs of the tower. Even the models were ready. But now we have hit a dead end,” a police official said.

A senior corporation official said they had so far not received any such proposal from the city police. Proposals that would spoil the beauty of the Marina are usually not considered, he added.