Last Saturday, 23-year-old Vaskar B. Maity from Hyderabad, who had come to Chennai for an interview, drowned when he went for a swim off the Marina. His parents, who flew down to spend the evening in the city with their son, had to return with his corpse.
Four vehiclesVaskar is among the 32 persons who drowned in the sea between Light House and Napier Bridge till date this year. However, the four All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) procured by the police to patrol the seashore to prevent such deaths and to fight crime on beaches are lying unused at the Raja Rathinam stadium here for sometime now.
A lot of people, especially from the districts and other States, visit the beach stretch between the Kannagi statue and Napier Bridge owing to the presence of memorials and shops.
“The mounted police and the Coast Guard vehicles patrol the beach only in evenings. But the most of such incidents happen between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” a police source said.
However, there is only one ATV for covering the over 3.5-km stretch between Light House and Napier Bridge.
“It is difficult to chase away those who swim in different spots along this coastline. Besides, owing to overuse, the machine gets faulty often,” added the source.
He said that it would be helpful if the ATVs that are lying unused inside the stadium are provided to the stations along the coastline.
“There are some who steal the clothes of people who enter the water for a swim. The police patrol teams on the vehicles can check crime, besides preventing people from getting into the sea,” the source said.
Senior police officers said there was a need for a specialised team to patrol the beach and prevent drowning incidents.
“Most of the police personnel are busy with bandobust or regular duties. It will be helpful if the home guards help us out,” added the officer.
