Marina Beach, Chennai
Marina Beach (is a natural urban beach in the city of Chennai, India, along the Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south, a distance of 13 km (8.1 mi), making
it the longest natural urban beach in the country and the world's second
longest natural urban beach.
The Marina is primarily sandy, unlike the short, rocky formations
that make up the Juhu Beach in Mumbai. The average width of the beach is 300 m
(980 ft) and the width at the widest stretch is 437 m
(1,434 ft). Bathing and swimming at the Marina Beach are legally
prohibited because of the dangers, as the undercurrent is very turbulent.
It is the most crowded beach in the country and attracts about
30,000 visitors a day during weekdays and 50,000 visitors a day during the
weekends and on holidays. During summer months, about 15,000 to 20,000
people visit the beach daily.
The Marina Beach, covered with glittering golden sand and a clear
strip of blue sea, is among the most magnificent beaches in India. Much of
credit for converting this beach into a tourist spot goes to Governor
Mountstuart Elphinstone Grand Duff, who took the needed measures during the
1880s. Here, the experience of watching the sun rise and set is at its
captivating best, and breathtaking. Enclosures with palm trees compel you to
take a slow and relaxed walk. The horseback ride along the shores will lift up
your spirits further.
Various stalls of food items including Murukku, Sundal, ice-cream
and other South-Indian snacks are located in its vicinity to curb the cravings
of the foodies. An aquarium, situated near the beach, comprises of some of the
most astonishing and splendid range of tropical sea and fresh water fish. It gives
you a chance to be familiar with the aquatic life and see what God has blessed
the sea life of Chennai with.
And then south to its location is situated the Ice House, which
was used for storage of ice brought from great lakes in North America during the
time of British. The most favourable time to visit the Marina Beach is during
November to February, when the temperature is moderate in Chennai and the palms
and casuarinas provides you with lovely cold breeze and ample shade for taking
rest, enjoying the natural beauty of the sea and the beach.
Paragliding facilities are available on the beach now between 3
p.m. and 6 p.m. on day’s weather permits. The average flight time is 10-15
minutes.
History
Before the 16th century, there were frequent incident of
inundation of land near the coast due to rise in sea level. When the sea
withdrew, several ridges and lagoons were left behind. On the southern side of Fort St. Georgia, one such sand ridge ran from the mouth of the Cooum to the
present site of the Presidency College. On the
rear side of the ridge was a huge depression on which the college grounds were
later developed. The ridge is the site of the present-day beach.
When Fort St. George was built in 1640, the sea was too close to the fort. The
building of the harbour near the fort resulted in sand accretion to the south
of the fort and the harbour and the sea, which was washing the ramparts of the
fort, moved afar at about 2.5 km away from the fort creating a wide beach
between the land and the sea.
Before the Madras harbour was built, the beach was just a strip of mud, teeming
with mudskippers. The beach washed up
close to the present day road for a long time until the harbour was built in
1881. Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff, the governor of Madras from 1881 to 1886, who was captivated by
the beach on an earlier visit to the city in the late 1870s, conceived and
built the promenade along the beach in
1884 by extensively modifying and layering with soft sand. He also christened
it the Madras Marina in the same year. Since the early 19th century,
a number of public buildings were constructed fronting the beach.
Ever since the harbour was built, the area south of the port has
accreted significantly, forming the present day's beach mainly due to the
presence of wave breakers laid for the construction of the harbour, although
the coast in the northern region has undergone severe erosion. Eventually, the north-drifting current widened the beach to its
present extent. The beach was formed as a result of arresting the littoral
drift by the port's breakwater. The
area of the beach is increasing 40 sq m every year due to progradation.
Since the creation of the promenade in 1884, there were several
additions along the stretch. The country's first aquarium was established as
one of the first additions in 1909. Shortly after the Independence,
the Triumph of Labour statue
(reminiscent of the famous World War II photograph of the American Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima) and the Gandhi statue in 'march to Dandi' stride, which has been
duplicated on the lawns of the Parliament House, were erected on the beach.
Both the statues were sculpted by Debi Roy Chowdhury, an artist
who at the age of 30 became the first Indian Principal of the Madras School of
Arts and Crafts.
In 1968, a number of statues of icons of Tamil literature was erected to mark the first World Tamil Conference, including
Avvaiyar, Thiruvalluvar, Kambar, Subramania Bharathiyar, Bharathidasan and the
Europeans Bishop Caldwell, G.U. Pope and Fr. Beschi (Veeramunivar).
Anna Samadhi (memorial) was built in 1970 and the MGR Samadhi in
1988, shortening the stretch at its northern end. More recent additions include
the statues of Kamaraj and Shivaji Ganesan.
Ecology
The Marina used to be famed for its pristine beauty, jolly
ambiance, and rich ecosystems. However, since the
middle of the 20th century, the beach and water have become polluted. Proliferation of plastic bags, human waste, and other
pollutants have rendered many parts of the beach unusable. In recent years,
many voluntary organizations have taken up the task of cleaning up the Marina
and protecting the ecosystem. Particular efforts include protection of olive ridley turtle nests
along the Neelankarai section of the
beach.
Flora & Fauna
Marina Beach lies on the stretch of coast where olive ridley sea
turtles, a species classified as Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection
Act of 1972 (critically endangered), nest during mating season, chiefly between
late October and April peaking from mid-January to mid-February. The
Ennore–Mamallapuram zone, on which the beach lies, is one of the three major
nesting grounds on the Indian coast. However, with the expansion of the
shrimp trawling fishery in the eastern coast of India in the mid-1970s, several
individuals of the species are washed ashore dead every year. The eggs laid by
the females along the beach are also sold in the local market by the fishermen
and traders. In 1977, a recovery programme was started by the Central
Marine Fisheries Research Institute. Many volunteer organizations in the
city, such as the Students' Sea Turtle Conservation Network and the Sea Turtle
Protection Force of the TREE Foundation, get involved in conservation of the
species along the coast.
Meiofaunal composition at the Marina Beach chiefly includes turbelarians, nematodes, polychaetes, oligochaetes & harpacticoids. Species of gastrotrichs are also found in the region.
Common fishes found along the beach in the Bay of Bengal include
mullets, sharks, silver bellies, rays, ribbon fish, skates, white bait,
dussumeria, jew fish, horse mackerel, crabs, seer, pellona, pomfret, perches,
lactarius, lethrius, flying fish, engraylis, sardines, lobsters, sabre fish, barracuda,
hilsa, tunny, Indian salmon, leather jackets, cookup, breams, catfish,
snappers, synagris, bonito, soles, polynemus, and prawns, among others.
Dimensions and characteristics
The Marina is a natural urban beach along the Coramandel coast on the Bay of Bengal. Primarily sandy, the beach spans about 13 km (8.1 mi),
running from near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south and is the longest natural urban beach in
India. The average width of the beach is 300 m (980 ft) and the
width at the widest stretch is 437 m (1,434 ft).
Infrastructure and activities
Marina beach is a major tourist attraction of the city. People
visiting Chennai make a point to visit the beach. It is also the main place for
the local people to escape from the summer heat. The beach is popular for
its shops and food stalls run by about 500 shops run by about 1,212
vendors. The memorials and statues, morning walk, joggers'
track, lovers' spot, aquarium, and the like
make it a hangout for people of all ages.
Kite flying and beach cricket are common sports at the beach, and
there are also facilities for pony rides. Beach cricket at the Marina dates
back several decades. However, Chennai City Police has banned it at different
points due to its interference with traffic and beach walkers. The sea is
generally rough and waves are strong. There are fishermen colonies present at
both ends of the beach. There are also joyrides, merry-go-rounds and mini giant
wheels along the stretch, although they are installed without permission from
any government agency.
There are two swimming pools along the stretch—the Marina swimming
pool and the Anna swimming pool. The Marina swimming pool was built in 1947 and
is located opposite the Presidency College. The pool is 100 m long and
30 m wide, bigger than the standard Olympic pool size of 50 m ×
25 m and is 3 to 5.5 feet (0.91 to 1.68 m) deep. It is maintained by
Corporation of Chennai. It underwent renovation in 1994 and 2004. The Anna
swimming pool is located opposite the clock tower building of the University of
Madras and virtually remains hidden behind the Anna Square bus terminus.
The pool is said to be the first Olympic size pool to be built in
Tamil Nadu. It was constructed in 1976 with a diving board. However, the diving
board was removed later during a renovation. The pool is 4 to 11 feet (1.2 to
3.4 m) deep. It also has a toddler pool that is 2.5 feet (0.76 m).
Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) conducts regular coaching
camps at the pool.
The oval-shaped skating arena at the beach has an outer railing
and standing area for people to watch from.
As part of the 'Chennai Forever' initiative by the Tamil Nadu government,
a 34-foot (10 m) tall, artificial waterfall was
installed in September 2005 at a cost of ₹ 1.5 million. A
visitor centre near the Cooum River mouth on the Marina, similar to the Marina Barrage Visitor Centre in Singapore and San Antonio Visitor Center in the United States, has been planned as
part of an initiative to create awareness of the need for clean waterways.
In 2008, two floating fountains with spray height of 100 feet with
colour lights for night view were planned to be installed in sea waters off the
beach.
In 2010, the Chennai Corporation procured new cleaning equipments
to clean the beach at a cost of ₹ 8.011 million. These included a
sand-cleaning machine capable of cleaning 15,000 m2 area in an hour
procured at a cost of ₹ 3.267 million, three skids steer loaders to
clean narrow lanes commissioned at a cost of ₹ 2.652 million,
imported lawn mower, ride-on mechanical sweeper, tree pruner and hedge trimmer.
An automatic ticket-vending machine at a cost
of ₹ 170,000 was also commissioned at the Marina swimming pool for
managing the crowd. The corporation also planned to construct two more public
conveniences at the beach. About 150 corporation staff, including a junior
engineer, maintains the lawns and service lanes on the beach.
As of 2013, the 3.1-km stretch of the beach from the Triumph of
Labour statue to the lighthouse has 31 high-mast lamps.
Structures along the Beach
Being the city's primary area for recreation, the entire stretch
features numerous statues and monuments that have come up over the years along
the beach promenade, called Kamarajar Salai. While the beach stretches along
the eastern side of the road, the western side is dotted with various
governmental institutions and historic and stately buildings from the British rule all
along its length.
Victory War Memorial,
a memorial for the warriors who lost their lives in the World Wars, marks the northern end of the beach. Memorials for C. N. Annadurai and M. G. Ramachandran,
former Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, are present on the northern end of the promenade known as the Anna
Square.
All along the length of the promenade, stone statues adorn the
roadside area of the beach starting from the Triumph of Labour statue, the
first statue erected in the beach, near the memorials at the Anna Square to
Mahatma Gandhi statue near the lighthouse. Most
statues are of national or local legends while others have symbolic
significance like the Triumph of Labour statue.
The statues along the
promenade are (from north to south):
The other side of the
road houses several historical buildings and institutions including:
·
Public Works Department
(PWD) Complex
·
Lady Wellington School
·
Forensic Science
Department
Other structures
along the beach include:
·
Anna Swimming Pool
·
Marina Swimming Pool
·
Aquarium
·
Marina Cricket Ground
Renovation
In February 2008, the Chennai Corporation,
previously known as The Madras Corporation, took up the Marina Renovation
Project with improved landscaping, seating arrangements, walkways, and lighting
along the promenade, and architectural elements such as plazas, gazeboes, and
pergolas were installed all along the stretch including 4 m-wide
non-slippery granite footpaths near the service lane, another 5 m-wide
footpath, and 15 m-wide lawns.
The blueprint of the renovation project included ornamental
fountains, exclusive parking lots for two- and four-wheelers, a children's play
area, bus shelters, ramps for physically challenged, and food courts. The
whole length of the stretch from Triumph of Labour Statue to the Lighthouse measuring
3.1 km has been divided into 14 harmonious landscaped galleries dotting
its span, each with an element of drama attached to the design in the form of
small theatre-type galleries where visitors can sit.
All the 14 sections vary significantly from one another and were
designed in such a way as to the differentiation of sections not leading to any
break in the walkway, which is a continuous walking stretch from the Triumph of
Labour Statue to the Kamaraj Statue. One of these galleries is flanked by two
semi-circular stainless-steel pergolas resting on wire-cut brick columns. The
galleries can accommodate over 1,000 people.
The choice of natural stones and pillars used in each section of
the promenade was based on the type of the buildings on the other side of the
road. The walkway was designed as low-lying as is necessary to have a clear
view of the beach from the road. A total of 428 octagonal poles with
seagull-shaped light fittings and additional high-mast lamps have been erected.
Ten modern stainless steel bus shelters have been erected near the
beach. There is a skating rink behind the Gandhi Statue which has been improved with hand
rails and tiles on the periphery under the project. A total of 14 galleries
with seating arrangements and a 4-m internal walkway along the sands and
fountains have been created on the 3.1-kilometre (1.9 mi) stretch from the
Anna Square to the Lighthouse.
This stretch has uninterrupted pavement and a sub-road parallel to
the main road. Five reverse osmosis plants capable of providing 30,000 litres
of drinking water an hour free of cost to visitors is under
construction. As part of the beautification project, the decade-old
250-watt lamps were replaced with 690 anti-corrosive lamps along Kamaraj Salai
and the service road. The renovation was completed in December 2009 at a
cost of ₹ 259.2 million. Although initially the corporation planned
to outsource security personnel to protect the renovated structures, the
plan was dropped and about 50 corporation staff were employed to man the
stretch.
In 2009, a 4.5-km-long stretch along the beach was announced
plastic-free zone, prohibiting the sale and use of plastic. In November
2010, the corporation imposed a fine of ₹ 100 on the usage of plastic
items that are less than 20 µm thick
on the entire stretch. Within a couple of years since the ban, the use of plastics
on the beach was reduced by 70 percent.
In 2012, the government allotted ₹ 89 million for the
renovation of the memorials of Anna and MGR. This includes ₹ 12
million and ₹ 43 million towards renovation of Anna Memorial and MGR
Memorial, respectively, ₹34 million towards additional construction at the
MGR Memorial.
In 2012, the corporation allotted ₹ 48.4 million for
installing two high-mast lamps, a police watchtower, and a giant chess board
and an interactive fountain in the children's play area. This also includes
relocation of the shops to specific locations on the sand at a cost
of ₹ 41.2 million.
Safety measures and Policing
Bathing and swimming are illegal at Marina beach since the undercurrent in
the region is very strong, and there are no lifeguards stationed here. As
many people throng the beach, quite often there are drowning mishaps. An
estimated five sea-bathers are drowned every month at the beach, and most of
the swimmers are dragged by the tides into the debris of a tramp ship SS
Damatis that sank off the beach during a cyclone in 1966.
Police personnel and lifeguards constantly patrol the whole area,
which is divided into seventy-two sections, by means of horses and all-terrain vehicles (known
as beach buggies). Five spots off the beach, including near the Anna
Square, Kannagi Statue, Triumph of Labour Statue and behind Vivekananda House,
have been identified by the police as extremely unsafe due to the presence
of whirlpools and rock projections
in the seabed.
In 2010, 75 people drowned in the sea along the 5-km stretch of
the beach. Of this, the 1-km stretch from Anna Square to the Anna swimming pool
is considered the most dangerous with as many as 29 persons drowning in the sea
in 2010. The deep sea in this stretch is considered to still hold parts of the
smacked ship.
In 2011, in addition to the tie-up with Coast Guard security
personnel, the city police planned for a tie-up with the fire and rescue
services department to provide a stand-by rescue team at the beach to save
people from drowning. The rescue team, equipped with a rubber boat and a
motor-fitted boat, was planned to be stationed at the Anna Square police
station or the Marina police station.
The law-enforcing agencies are planning to bring the beach under
close watch by means of two watchtowers and at least a dozen surveillance
cameras. The Chennai Corporation has agreed in principle to create the security
infrastructure based on a proposal sent by the Greater Chennai Police.
The watchtowers are proposed to be erected behind the Triumph of Labour statue
and the Gandhi statue. In August 2012, the government sanctioned six more
all-terrain vehicles for patrolling the beach.
In December 2012, in a measure to regulate parking and to control
the entry of vehicles into the beach, the Chennai Corporation decided to
install drop gates at seven entry points on the beach's service lane, including
near the PWD Building, Subash Chandra Bose statue, Dr. Annie Besant statue,
Vivekanandar Illam, Avvaiyar statue, Veeramamunivar statue and the lighthouse.
Despite intensive patrolling, illegal bike races and night races
are also held along the stretch, resulting in public nuisances and, at times,
death of the racers.
Controversies
With a length of 13 km, including a 6 km promenade, the
Marina is considered the world's second longest urban beach, although there
exist in fact several longer beaches, including Praia do Cassino (254 km)
in Brazil, Cox's Bazaar (120 km) in Bangladesh, Padre Island on the U.S. Gulf
Coast, Ninety Mile Beach in
Australia and Ninety Mile Beach (88 km) in New Zealand. However, unlike most beaches, Marina is a natural sandy urban
beach similar to the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, helping it earn the title.
In December 2001, the Kannagi statue, which was erected in 1968 on
the occasion of a World Tamil Conference held in Chennai, was removed for
traffic maintenance reason as part of modernisation of the beach, which
led to a huge protest and demonstration by the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party. When the DMK later came to power, the statue
was installed in the same place on 3 June 2006 by the DMK party chief M. Karunanidhi.
On 9 August 2003, an open air stage located 350 ft from the
sea on the sands of the Marina called Seerani Arangam,
constructed in 1970, which was used by religious groups and political
parties to address gatherings, was demolished by the state government in order
to modernize the beach. This spot was a place where rallies were held for the
freedom movement during the British Raj, and the stage was considered a symbol
of the historical events that had taken place in the Marina. This created
a great controversy.
Incidents
The beachfront was severely damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The tsunami waves, caused due to an M 9.2 magnitude earthquake
at about 257 km south-southeast of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, on the Indian Ocean floor on 26 December 2004 at
6.20 am IST, struck the beach, which is about 2028 km North West from
the epicenter, at 8.40 am IST.
The reported height of the tsunami waves at the beach was 6 m
which washed away about 206 persons on the beach, most of whom were
morning joggers and children playing cricket on the beach, including a few
tourists.
With the assistance of the World Bank, the government built 2,000 temporary Marina beach shelters each
measuring about 250 sq.ft. to house families affected by the tsunami at a
cost of ₹ 172.3 million. However, in 2012, new houses for residents
of tenements on the Marina Beach was planned to be taken up under a Disaster
Preparedness Project of the state government.
As a visible change in the beach immediately after the tsunami,
the intertidal area was much flatter on 27 December 2004, which usually
featured a gentle slope. However, the usual slope started to appear 4 days
after the tsunami and normal profile was restored in about 15 days. The
receding wave after the tsunami lasted for more than 24 h.
Post tsunami, there was a distinct variation in the distribution
of sand grains in the beach until the 4th day. However, from the 5th day after
the tsunami, normal composition of sand grains appeared to have been restored
at different depths. The tsunami also resulted in various geomorphological
changes in the region such as those in the contour of the 2,000 km-long Burma Plate, which sits atop the India plate,
resulting in a rise in the land level of Chennai, ranging between 0.5 cm
and 3 cm.
Following the tsunami, there was a distinct increase in the Meiofaunal density in the beach. Various meiofauna found in the beach
after tsunami include foraminiferans (Elphidium sp.), cnidarians (Halammohydra sp., Psammohydra sp.), turbellarians (Otoplana sp., Macrostomumsp.), nemertines, nematodes (Halalaimus
setosus, Desmodora sp., Chromadora sp., Sabatieria sp., Steineria sp., Metapselionema sp.), gastrotrichs (Chaetonotus sp.,Thaumastoderma sp.), rotifers, kinorhynchs (Cateria sp.), polychaetes (Hesionides sp.), archianelids (Polygordius madrasensis, Sacocirrus minor), oligochaetes (Marioninasp.), harpacticiod copepods ( Arenosetella indica, Psammastacus
acuticaudatus, Leptastacus euryhalinus, Emertonia minuta, Sewellina
reductus), ostracods (Polycope sp.),
isopods (Angeliera phreaticola), halacarids (Halacarus sp.),
insects, and various other species.
Events
Being the most prominent open space in the city, the Marina Beach
hosts several events throughout the year. The annual Independence Dayand
the Republic Day ceremonial
parades and air shows are held along the promenade along with the unfurling of
the national flag in the Marina.
The annual idol-immersion event following the Hindu festival of Vinayaka Chathurthi takes
place at the beach where most of the idols of Lord Ganesh kept on display during the festival in the city is immersed
into the sea. The event occurs in the month of August–September. The beach is
also the venue for several marathon and walkathon campaigns throughout
the year conducted for various cause.
The beach receives the maximum number of visitors on the Kannum
Pongal day, a day in the festival season of Pongal in mid-January, when about 150,000 people come to the beach.
The annual Chennai Marathon is held in the beach starting from the Anna Square to Annai
Velankanni Church on the Elliot's Beach in Besant Nagar.
It is India's biggest city marathon and is also said to be South India's richest marathon, in
which over 1,000 athletes and more than a million people participate, which
includes various categories such as a 21-km run for professional athletes, a
city run for everybody, a junior run for children, a master's run for senior
citizens and a wheelchair run for the disabled.
In 2008, the beach played host to India's first International
Beach Volleyball Championship, BSNL FIVB Chennai Challenger: 2008, from 15
to 20 July to popularize beach volleyball. The event was organized by the Beach Volleyball Club and was
sponsored by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited. Eleven Indian teams along with 60 teams from 21 countries
participated in the 6-day-long tournament offering total prize money of
US$40,000 in the men's and US$6,400 in the women's events.
Transportation
Kamarajar Salai, a six-lane road and one of the arterial roads of
Chennai City, runs alongside the beach providing a sea view starting from the
Victoria War Memorial near the Cooum River delta till the lighthouse to the south. The road extends
further south beyond the lighthouse where it is known as the 'Santhome High
Road', running away from the sea but parallel to the beach till Santhome.
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation has a terminus called the 'Anna Square' terminus at the
northern end of the beach, Triplicane Terminus near Kannagi statue/Pycrofts
Road, Vivekananda House (Ice House) Terminus and Foreshore Estate terminus.
Railway stations alongside the beach include the Chepauk, the Tiruvallikeni and the Lighthouse MRTS
railway stations.
There was a plan to build a 9.7-km elevated road along the beach
connecting the lighthouse with the East Coast Road in the south at a cost
of ₹ 10,000 million. However, the plan was dropped due to opposition
from the public such as the 'Save Chennai Beaches' campaign.
Legacy
Although the beach promenade was created in 1884, the sandy shore
has been mentioned in the literature much earlier. The beach shore has a
mentioning in the verse no. 2297 of the 4000 Divya Prabandham written by Periyalwar.
The verse, dating back to 7th century AD, was written in Tamil, and it says that the sea was so rich with white waves bringing
to the shore very precious gems like red corals and white pearls and that the light of the dusk (moonlight) falls on these
gems at the shore and makes the area brightened with beautiful colours.
Grant Duff, the governor of Madras who developed the beach promenade,
recalls in his memoirs:
“
|
Our way lay first along the shore and made me think of the very
sensible answer made to me when I was talking about going to India. 'Go', he
said, 'For God's sake go. If you spend only twelve hours on the beach at Madras,
it will be a great deal better than nothing'.
|
”
|
Grant Duff christened it the Madras Marina in 1884, the
same year when the beach promenade was created, on which he explains in a
letter:
“
|
We have greatly benefited Madras by turning the rather dismal
beach of five years ago into one of the most beautiful promenades in the
world. From old Sicilian recollections, I gave in 1884 to our new creation
the name of Marina; and I was not a little amused when walking there last
winter with the Italian General Saletta, he suddenly said to me 'On se dirai
a Palerme'.
|
”
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In New India, the newspaper that was run by Annie Besant, the Irish theosophist and Home Rule advocate, the beauty of
Marina Beach was described back in 1914. On 6 October 1914, Anne Besant wrote,
“
|
One of the chief attractions of Madras is undeniably its Marina.
There is nothing in all of India to match this long and pleasantest of
promenades that runs by the side of the foam-crested surf from the southern
extremity of the Fort to Santhome. The Marina is certainly a cap of this
'city of magnificent distances'. An old promenade, popularly known as
'Cupid's Bow' south of the fort, now hides her head in shame besides her
statelier and more favoured sister.
|
”
|
She also added that Madras
“
|
... in keeping with her dignity as a progressive city with a
population of over half a million souls, (its) delectable evening resort,
Marina Beach will be converted into being 'a thing of beauty and joy
forever'.
|
”
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Future developments
In January 2014, the corporation announced a makeover of the
2.8-km stretch on the southern part of the beach from Lighthouse to Foreshore
Estate, including development of walkways, benches, a gallery, bicycle tracks,
concrete roads, service trenches, rainwater trenches and streetlight fittings
at an estimated cost of ₹ 400 million.
The development would provide alternative accommodation to vendors
of the existing market on the Marina Loop Road by commissioning of a modern
fish market on the stretch. The loop road connecting the Lighthouse and
Foreshore Estate, which is currently a 20-metre-wide road, will be converted to
a four-lane concrete road barricaded on both sides with stainless steel
pillared railings and will pass all along the Santhome coast of the Marina
Beach.
A 2.4-metre-wide bicycle track, a 3.3-metre-wide walkway and a
2.5-metre-wide gallery will be developed on the eastern side of the road. The
western side of the road will have a fish market with cold storage facilities
as well as a walkway.
The Corporation also plans to develop more than 300 heritage
pillars, each 1.2 metres tall, on the western side of Kamarajar Salai opposite
the beach. The uniformly designed heritage pillars will be made of granite and
iron on the stretch from All India Radio to Swami Sivananda Salai. The pillars
would replace the existing walls of various institutions to improve aesthetics
around the beach.
In popular culture
Marina Beach has been featured in numerous Tamil movies, including the 2012 Tamil movie Marina that is entirely
based upon the lives of child workers in the beach.