Poor maintenance of park irks visitors to Poompuhar

Pavai Mandapam is more used for anti-social activities.

A view of the Pavai Mandapam in a dilapidated condition at Poompuhar.— Photo: M. Srinath

The tourism infrastructure at the Poompuhar seashore, a major tourism attraction centre, has been in a precarious condition. Infrastructure was provided in the area and declared open during the Chithra Pournami day about four decades ago but none of them had been in a good condition.

Tourists visit the seashore, particularly during weekends, and most of them are shell-shocked by the poor maintenance of infrastructure.

Basically, there is no restaurant by tourism agencies in the order of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. Men and women run make-shift stalls.

Secondly, traders say that there is no street light in the area and obviously even the visiting tourists, for want of safety, do not stay beyond 7 p.m.

The children’s park has been totally damaged and the Pavai Mandapam is more used for anti-social activities. “Being a secluded place, it has become a haven for unlawful activities. Surveillance cameras should be set up at parks and other areas around the memorial in the area,” feel a cross section of residents.

An official of the Tourism Department said that no adequate funds had been sanctioned for several decades resulting in the poor condition of the infrastructure.

The Department has mooted a proposal to the State government to beautify the entire area. It was true that the ceiling of the ‘mandapams’ had got weakened probably due to the impact of sea breeze and the proposal seeks to demolish the damaged portion and repair the structure.

At the time of inauguration of the gallery, Poompuhar was an isolated place but in the recent years, thanks to the starting of various colleges in the coastal belt, many young men and women had been visiting the site, the source said.