Residents of Triplicane and fishermen in the neighbourhood have expressed reservations over the construction of a Metro station on Kamarajar Salai. They have raised safety concerns over “unnecessarily constructing something on the promenade that has remained vastly undisturbed over the decades.”
K. Bharathi, South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association, said the past has shown us that beach is known to flood, especially during storms, which the city is prone to. “Experts have warned that due to global warming, rising of sea level by about one metre, is quite likely. In such a case, why should we have an underground station near the sand. During the 2015 floods we saw metro rail tunnels taking in water, and something similar could happen here too,” he said. Triplicane resident T.J. Ramani said the promenade has remained untouched to a large extent. “There are heritage structures on one side including the Vivekananda House, DGP office and Presidency College and the beach on the other side. Why spoil the charm,” he questioned.
Architect and urban designer A. Srivathsan said that since the beach was an important public space in Chennai, it needs to be connected with the rest of the city. But there was no need to bring a station to the beach because past experience has shown us that the coast is vulnerable. Metro rail could still serve its purpose if the station is placed some 300 - 500 metres ahead of Gandhi Statue and near the DGP office on Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai.
