A large number of tourists and pilgrims can be seen thronging the Velankanni beach in summer to beat the heat.
However, encroachments, particularly by shopkeepers and eateries, have been an eyesore on the pristine shoreline.
The shopkeepers, an enterprising bunch, even offer chairs to the visitors to relax and watch the sea, as their relatives soak themselves in the cool waters.
The encroachments, most of them thatched structures, spoil the beauty of the beach as a large volume of plastic waste gets piled up all around. The encroachments cause great hindrance to the tourists and pilgrims visiting the Velankanni beach, say local residents.
The encroachments have become quite rampant in the last few years, and a committee must be formed to check them, the residents say.