CRZ clearance for the ramp on Elliots beach in Besant Nagar is expected next month
CRZ clearance for the ramp on Elliots beach in Besant Nagar is expected next month
Chennai Corporation will complete the pathway for persons with disability on the Marina beach sands next month.
Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi directed the officials to complete the work by the third week of September. The ramp has been constructed near Vivekanandar Illam for a length of 265 metres from the Marina beach service road to the high tide line. More than 70% of the work has been completed. The ramp has been constructed using three types of wood along a 3-metre-wide stretch.
Corporation officials said a group of persons with disability visited the spot and studied the design and suggested more improvements. They demanded new toilets and space for storage of belongings of the persons with disability during their visit to the beach. Chennai Corporation has decided to construct new toilets for the persons with disability on the service road near Vivekanandar Illam.
Babul wood will be used for construction of the ramp with one metre thickness beneath the sands and another one metre above the sand-level. Red maradi wood will be used for side hand rails. Flooring will be done using ipe wood, officials said.
CRZ clearance for the ramp on Elliots beach in Besant Nagar is expected next month. The civic body is expected to start the work next month and complete the ramp in four months.
Chennai Corporation will develop more infrastructure for persons with disability on the beaches.
Vaishanavi Jayakumar, Member of Disability Rights Alliance, said the ramp on the Marina beach was a great example of government and diverse stakeholders working in partnership to ensure last mile accessibility to disabled citizens who have been longing to reach the ocean. “DRA is especially proud to have respected CRZ rules and the spirit behind the Environment Act. The path is just the first step and is incomplete without allied facilities such as container for beach wheelchairs, ‘May I help you’ booth personnel, MobiMats, WaterWheels, ocean ramp, life jackets, accessible toilet, Smart Pole with CCTV, specially-trained life guards, accessible route and wayfinding signage, etc. Recurring expenditure on maintaining the path should be budgeted to make Chennai’s pride a showcase for accessible tourism,” said Ms. Sadasivam.
TMN Deepak, State president of December 3 Movement, said the ramp must be illuminated with contrast colours for the safety of people with low vision . The rails must also enable people with growth impairment, he added.
