The Times of Indian 25.08.2009

Mayor says 90% work on Marina beautification over

TNN 25 August 2009, 05:34am IST

CHENNAI: The beautification of the Marina Beach is progressing apace with at least 90% of the works complete and the entire project is expected to be over in about two months, Mayor M Subramanian said on Monday. After inspecting work at the site, he said some works, including construction of galleries and non-slippery granite footpaths, would be finished in a month.

The Rs 20.75-crore project is part of the local body's ambitious programme to beautify the city. Work on a 3.1 km stretch between Anna Square and Light House began in Februay 2008. "We expect to complete the entire project in another two months," Subramanian told TOI.

Twelve of the 14 galleries have been built while the laying of the four metre-wide non-slippery granite footpaths and 15 metre-wide lawns is nearing completion. "Once the construction is over, people will not be allowed to take bath on the sands. We will look into the modalities of fixing a fee structure for the use of urinals and bathrooms," the mayor said.

The architect's blueprint of the project had included ornamental fountains, exclusive parking lots for four-wheelers and two-wheelers, a children's play area, bus shelters, ramps for physically-challenged and food courts. The corporation, which prohibited the sale and use of plastic on the Marina from August 15, has planned an awarness programme on August 26.

The corporation has already replaced the decade-old 250-watt lamps with 690 anti-corrosive lamps along Kamaraj Salai and along the service road as part of the project.

Several walkers, including film producer AVM Saravanan, told the Mayor about the damaged kerbs, faulty aligned footpaths and water stagnation in the walking area and sought more seaters along the footpaths.

The Hindu 25.08.2009

Stalin inaugurates Green Tirupur Movement

Staff Reporter

Tirupur: Deputy Chief Minister M. K. Stalin inaugurated the Green Tirupur Movement of Isha Foundation by planting a sapling on the Corporation Town Hall premises here on Sunday.

The Isha Foundation volunteers with the involvement of different stakeholders in the conservation of environment planted as many as 25,000 saplings of 34 plant species across the city.

The Green Tirupur Movement has been mooted under the Project Green Hands, an ecological initiative of the Isha Foundation aimed at reversing environmental degradation and increasing the green cover in the State.

At the inaugural, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of Isha Foundation, called upon the people to joins hands with the Foundation’s efforts to keep the earth habitable to future generations.

Display responsibility

“Each individual should display responsibility to maintain the trees and take steps to plant at least a few more saplings,” he said.

Ministers M. P. Saminathan, K. Ponmudy, Pongalur N. Palanisamy and Poongothai Aladi Aruna, Mayor K. Selvaraj, Collector C. Samayamoorthy, Inspector General of Police Pramod Kumar and District Revenue Officer K. V. Muralitharan, among others, were present.

A ‘Green Marathon’ was organised soon after the inauguration, to spread the message of importance of trees for sustainable living.

The run was flagged off by film stars, Prakash Raj and Shreya.