The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Marina seems to burst at the seams

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 18, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Marina seems to burst at the seams

City Bureau

CHENNAI: The city's biggest public space — the Marina beachfront — bore the brunt of the massive crowds that came out to celebrate `Kaanum Pongal', the fourth and final day of Pongal festivities.

The police had a tough time managing the crowds. Among them were some families that regretted their decision to visit the beach on the occasion as they had little room to move about in the noisy crowd.

The massive turnout choked traffic as well as pedestrian movement on Kamaraj Salai, Wallajah Road and Triplicane among other pockets, as also along the arterial Anna Salai from 3 p.m. For nearly two hours, the automatic signals were switched off.

Similar scenes were witnessed at the trade fair grounds and on the stretch of Sardar Patel Road especially around the memorials of national leaders and the Guindy Children's park.

Traffic snarls

Despite the presence of the traffic police, vehicles piled up at many points especially because the holiday crowds spilled on from the sidewalks on the main carriageway, as was the case on Kamarajar Salai.

To watch the movement of the crowds, police set up watchtowers along the beach side. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Triplicane) M. Ramasubramanian said the police ensured that there was no untoward incident with the help of walkie-talkies and other gadgets like binoculars.

`Missing' cases

Though the police claimed that there was no major untoward incident, as many as 150 cases of `man or child missing' were reported at the special police control rooms in Marina and Mylapore beaches.

Any child spotted wandering alone was immediately escorted to the temporary control room set up for the day where women police personnel and volunteers were seen tending the wailing children. Public appeals were made to parents to retrieve their lost children.

Fun and frolic

Elsewhere on the beach, vendors selling popcorns and food items including `bajjis', pakodas, roasted corn pods, ice creams, sugarcane juice, cotton candies did "brisk business.

Youngsters in the crowd were seen playing kabbadi and building sand castles.

People from neighbouring villages in the Chennai suburbs had a joy ride to the beach and the trade fair, as they came in bullock carts, jingling with bells.

About 50 volunteers from the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam coordinated pedestrian movement in the area.

Despite many special buses that the Metropolitan Transport Corporation was plying to the beach, the buses were spilling with people. Many from north Chennai preferred to travel in crowded tempos and trucks, regardless of their safety.

Many families, who were taken unawares by the crowd, regretted their decision for having ventured out.

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