Chennai's Marina to get a Makeover

The green of lush lawns set against the blue of the Bay of Bengal. Sea-gazers sitting on galleries that run along the service road in the shape of waves. A fountain here and a fountain there. That will be Marina for you in six months from now.The world’s second longest beach — which is one of the busiest stretches in Chennai, thronged by walkers, lovers and picnicking families — is all set for a complete makeover.The long-awaited beautification drive is going on in full swing on the entire 3.1 km stretch along the Kamaraj Salai. Once completed, it should make Marina look like a plush open-air mall spread out along the sea — exclusive parking spaces, toilets, play area for children, garbage bins placed at various places, a food court, ramps for the physically challenged and authorised hawking.
As of now, visitors to the famous beach grapple with poor civic amenities, including inadequate toilets, tonnes of uncleared waste, insufficient places to sit, uneven pavements and disorganised parking.
The ambitious project, costing Rs 14 crore, was announced by chief minister M Karunanidhi during the last Budget — the idea being to realise his son and local administration minister M K Stalin’s dream of ‘Singara Chennai’ (beautiful Chennai). The slogan was coined by Stalin when he was the mayor of Chennai during DMK’s previous regime.The cost of the project has been shared by the state government and DMK-led municipal corporation. Construction began last February, after the corporation received the blueprint from the architect, and 30% of the work is already complete.The blueprint provides for 14 galleries, lawns, ornamental fountains, 3.1-m wide walker-friendly pavements, exclusive parking lots for four wheelers and two-wheelers, four public conveniences, play area, bus shelters, ramps for physically handicapped, food courts and garbage bins. Nearly 300 ornamental lights will be erected along the landscaped lawns, apart from 690 anti-corrosive, 9.2-m tall street light posts along Kamaraj Salai and the service road. The octagonal lamp shades will have 400-watt metal halide lamps that will replace the existing 250-watt lamps. The existing lamp posts were erected more than a decade ago.