The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : A makeover for riverbanks, Marina beachfront

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 24, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A makeover for riverbanks, Marina beachfront

Karthik Subramanian

The greening work has begun and transformation is already evident in some areas `Chennai Forever': Officials say the city will look refreshingly different in June and huge lawns from Napier Bridge planned

CLEAN AND GREEN: Saplings being planted along the Marina beach as part of the beautification project. — Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation is laying lawns along the Marina beachfront and the Adyar and the Cooum river banks as part of its `Chennai Forever' scheme.

Civic officials are working at a feverish pace to change the cityscape, after having neglected them for more than a decade. The transformation is evident along the Marina beachfront where saplings have been planted in lawns close to the Labour Statue. The soil is being prepared with a mixture of red sand, white sand and manure. The exterior of the subways on Kamarajar Salai are also being spruced up.

Zonal Officers working on the projects said that the first phase of the beautification programme would be finished by June.

Parking lots

The Corporation has also planned three parking lots on the Marina beachfront to ensure that vehicles are not parked along Kamarajar Salai.

Beautification work is also in progress along the riverbanks, notably along Ethiraj Salai, the riverbed close to Binny Bridge, Kotturpuram Bridge and Anderson Bridge. Work is slated to start along Sivananda Salai soon.

The civic agency obtained a no objection certificate only recently from the Public Works Department to take up the beautification of the Marina beachfront and the riverbanks.

A senior official said: "The river is dirty but that does not mean the banks need to be filthy. There will be small green corridors along the canals that will appeal to the aesthetic sense of all."

The Chennai Corporation has already started clearing up the riverbanks. It has planned huge lawns from Napier Bridge to Anna Bridge.

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