Special wheelchairs, two more play areas for Marina beach
2
3
Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation plans to procure mechanized wheelchairs for individuals with disabilities as part of the Blue Flag initiative at Marina beach. These wheelchairs are specially designed to move with ease on sand.
Apart from that, two more children's play areas will soon be added under the initiative.
"Although a ramp is already there, it does not extend all the way to the sea. These mechanized wheelchairs, which can move on sand, would be a welcome addition, especially for children who have never had the chance to visit the beach," said GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran.
The civic body first plans to purchase two beach wheelchairs at an estimated 1.15 lakh each.
More wheelchairs would be procured as the number of beachgoers grows in the future.
In addition to this, facilities such as a meditation room, changing room, breastfeeding room, and a clothing storage area will also be built. The beach is expected to be opened for the public by the end of June.
"Once the project is completed, it will be handed over to an operations and maintenance contractor. It will be a maintenance-based scheme and free for the public to visit. A dedicated worker will be assigned to maintain cleanliness," added Kumaragurubaran.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- The Hindu
Residents complain about rise in invasive species of trees in vacant plots
Residents have complained about a rise in invasive species of trees and shrubs in vacant plots and government lands, augmenting the breeding grounds of rats and snakes in residential areas. Residents have complained about GCC officials' reluctance to clear the invasive trees and shrubs, particularly Prosopis juliflora from vacant plots. Mugalivakkam resident K.S. Kannan said they had requested Chennai Corporation officials to remove the invasive trees and shrubs including Prosopis juliflora because of the rise in number of rats and snakes in the residential area. 'In ward 156, Mugalivakkam, Mettukuppam, AGR Garden, snakes have increased in the past few months because of the growth of Prosopis juliflora. We requested the Chennai Corporation officials to clear the Prosopis juliflora. But they refused,' said Mr. Kannan. Ward 35 councillor S. Jeevan said the fire and rescue services rescued a cobra from a residential area a few days ago in a piece of land where invasive trees have increased in Muttamizh Nagar, because the Metrowater officials failed to clear the land. 'We have requested the metrowater officials to clear the invasive trees after residents complained that the breeding of snakes and rats was rising. Nine parcels of land belonging to metrowater have to be cleared in my ward to control rats and snakes. I spoke about Prosopis juliflora in parcels of government land near Basin Bridge, along the Buckingham Canal. People are dumping construction debris and solid waste in the area. During the Chennai Corporation Council meeting last year, I complained about the growth of invasive species of trees in a parcel of land near a dilapidated EB Quarters. The Mayor ordered the Regional Deputy Commissioner to clear the area. But the officials have not cleared it,' said Mr. Jeevan. Councillors and residents have stressed the need for a mass cleaning drive to clear such invasive species in all zones to prevent breeding of rats and snakes in residential areas. Residents in suburban areas have also complained about the growth of Prosopis juliflora in vacant plots of lands. Tracing the owners of the vacant plots of land will be done with support from the Registration Department, Revenue Department and local bodies, officials said.
The Hindu
11 hours ago
- The Hindu
‘Passageway under rail overbridge: GCC to firm up plans by mid-August'
Not long ago, Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation J. Kumaragurubaran with a posse of officials from GCC's Bridges Division and Egmore MLA I. Paranthamen were studying the precincts of a brick-and-mortar stairway that is linked to Dr. Guruswami road overbridge. They were considering a possibility, which on fruition would make the stairway redundant for pedestrians seeking to get to the Chetpet railway station, or to neighbourhoods on the other side. This visit gave Chetpet residents a glimmer of hope, as it was a sign that a decades-long request of theirs could be met. The request is a passageway under the ROB. It would spare residents on the Harrington road and McNichols Road side, particularly students of the half a dozen schools there, the need to cross Dr. Guruswami bridge to reach the Chetpet railway station. Kripa Sagar Janardhanan, one of the residents avidly pursuing this matter, reported that the dusty, macadam approach road to the stairway had been cleaned, and small blue metal stones laid on it. Bitumen-topping is said to be round the corner. Hope deepened, and he noted that communication from the Egmore MLA's office had it that GCC's Bridges Division would have a firm plan in hand by mid-August. When The Hindu Downtown contacted him, Egmore MLA I. Paranthamen revealed that in the last week of July, he heard from GCC's Bridges Division. According to the MLA, GCC officials from the Bridges Division informed him that expert opinion from structural engineers in MIT and Anna University about constructing a passageway under the road overbridge was being sought and those engineers would present the report in around two weeks — which would be in the August 10-15 time frame. The MLA further said that the GCC officials told him they are also in talks with railway contractors who are best qualified to take up this kind of work. There is likelihood of the passageway being created with precast blocks. Paranthamen said he had asked the GCC Bridges Division engineers to complete this work before N-E monsoon; he added that this passageway would be a boon to the students studying in half-a-dozen schools in this region who commute by train.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
A board now warns people off this old Strychnine tree, one of just two found in the whole of Chennai
Where people cannot look beyond the commonplace, the unusual will not be recognised, let alone valued. In this milieu, those rubbing shoulders with the unusual might need to speak up for it. Tree conservation organisation Nizhal has taken that step, putting up a board that utters a strident word of warning to protect an old Strychnine tree. In Tamil, the wording follows the tone of the programming language Prolog, being declarative (this is not an exact translation, but the communication proceeds somewhat along the lines of 'if you bring harm to this tree, you will come to harm') and not just plain imperative (which would have been 'do not harm this tree'). There is official weight behind the move, the board carrying the logos of Greater Chennai Corporation and Tamil Nadu Government in addition to Nizhal's. Even if they were to live for an eon, a majority of people in Chennai would not recognise a Strychnine tree (Etimaram in Tamil) in the manner they would a neem. Going by documentation, Strychnos nux-vomica (the biological name for strychnine trees) has taken up a remarkably limited surface area in Chennai. A venerable, hugely aged Strychnine tree is found at Ponni Amman Koil in Injambakkam on East Coast Road. The only other known Strychnine tree is at ICF, a Gen Z in comparison to its older relative in Injambakkam. In the light of the species' rare presence, the old Strychnine tree in Injambakkam found a hedge of protection — a figurative hedge — being laid around it. The hedge held up when that section of East Coast Road was being widened. At the behest of T.D. Babu, part of Chennai District Green Committee and a key member of Nizhal, the State Highways Department took an extraordinary effort to ensure this tree continued to stand tall when most other things in its line were levelled to the ground to facilitate road-widening work. A stormwater drain skirted around the tree. As proven time and again, a thing that survived a sledgehammer might find its end with a flyswatter. This idea took root in Babu's mind when he noticed a JCB parked near the tree while he was driving past one day. He stopped and found out that power-cable laying work was being carried out close to the tree. Though he knew there was no plan to lift even a little finger against the tree, he felt impelled to tell the workers what this tree was all about. Babu says he also left his number with a roadside vendor nearby seeking that he be informed if any activity that was not in the interests of the tree was noticed. Babu says he made sure that a board was installed to tell people about the tree's significance and issue a warning to anyone who might think of bringing harm to it. Babu observes that Nizhal has given the Forest Department a list of trees in and around Chennai that have heritage value and therefore, ought to be protected at any cost. The Forest Department is preparing plaques for all these trees, explaining their significance and their 'protected' status. Until that plaque arrives, this board would do the job for this old Strychnine tree.
