“Toilets need to be constructed at the corner of the beach and definitely not on the sand,” explained T.D.Babu, Co-Founder of civic forum SPARK, as he collected signatures from a group of students, who had come to Elliot’s beach on June 10. Members of SPARK and residents of Besant Nagar have raised strong objections to the construction of a brick and mortar public toilet in the middle of Elliot’s beach.
“We are not opposing the construction of a toilet, however this is not the location for it,” added Babu as he points out that the nearly Rs.9 crore being spent on the project as part of Swadesh Darshan, should be utilised better.
Kamakshi Subramaniyam, Co-founder of SPARK, explained, “The toilets can be on either end of the beach. And it will be more useful as well to place it there,” as she pointed to the Shrine Vailankanni on one end and the many commercial establishments at the end of 5th Avenue.
The toilets are being constructed right in front of several promenade view points. “Already the view to the beach is blocked by the many shops there. This toilet will further block it. Additionally an ill-maintained toilet will make the promenade unbearable to walk past. Will the sewer lines go through the sand?” wonders S.Radhakrishnan, a resident of Kalakshetra Colony, Besant Nagar, with much apprehension.
Members of SPARK held placards with the message ‘Stop defacing the beach’, ‘No concrete on the beach’, ‘No construction on the sand’ etc. as they collected signatures from the beachgoers, many of whom enthusiastically signed. The nearly 200 signatures collected were submitted to the Corporation subsequently.
It was ironic that a couple were taking photographs at the same venue for a special occasion, but unfortunately, instead of the lovely beach, their background was the toilet under construction!
Krishnan, a Chartered Accountant from Vannanthurai and a regular at the beach expressed his annoyance on knowing about the construction and said, “I have been to 60 countries across the world and at none of the beaches have I seen toilets on the sand itself. All the beach cities I have visited have been very proud of the beaches and do everything to preserve its natural beauty. However it’s disheartening to see such construction here.”
Over the years, Elliot’s beach has become a very popular tourist spot and pulls crowds from across the city. This has led to its abuse and degradation. While the beach was declared as a ‘Litter-free zone’ in 2020, it is still garbage strewn. It is paradoxical that most of the beach cleaning activities are conducted at this beach, the latest being on June 8 (World Oceans Day), when Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Kiren Rijiju, participated and urged people to participate in large numbers for cleaning the beaches.
“If the government does not act on shops like balloon bursting, who do not pick the burst balloons, or the many eateries who ditch the used oil on the sand, this beach is bound to lose its pristine,” says S.Sridharan, an environment enthusiast.
Long time residents of Besant Nagar reminisce about their time at Elliot’s beach a few decades back and wonder if they will ever be able to see the foaming waves and smell the salty air from the promenade ever again.
