While the beach nourishment project launched by the Tourism Department has brought back the once-disappeared seashore near the Gandhi Thidal, fears are rising over whether the beautified stretch is turning into more of a fatal attraction following a spate of drowning deaths.
Ensuring safety of visitors thronging the popular beach front has become a major challenge for the department and law enforcing agencies as the shoreline has become a virtual death trap for tourists.
In back to back drowning incidents in the last few days, two people tragically lost their lives. The latest drowning incident occurred on Wednesday after a 27-year-old man from Salem lost his life while swimming. He had come with his friends for a swim when a huge wave dragged him deep into the waters. Though his friends succeeded in retrieving him from the sea and rushing him to the general hospital, doctors declared him dead on arrival.
A few days ago, a cab driver from Bengaluru met a similar fate. According to the police, as many as eight persons lost their lives while swimming in the beach during the past four months. Figures available with Grand Bazaar and Odiansalai police station revealed that two persons lost their life due to drowning in January, three in February, two in March and one in April.
In fact, the number of drowning deaths is likely to have been more if not for the timely help mainly by the fishing community and people on the beach.
The absence of life guards on the Beach Promenade has become a major concern. A few life guards were posted opposite the Chief Secretariat prior to the outbreak of the pandemic but they did not return to duty ostensibly because of salary payment issues.
“We used to have at least five to six guards near the Secretariat and a few near the Old port area. But nowadays, we have not seen any life guards in the Beach Promenade area. We policemen on duty could only advice the tourists not to venture but it becomes extremely difficult for us to control the crowd on weekends. Most of the time, the tourists don’t even heed to our instruction not to swim. Sign boards warning the dangers of swimming near the Secretariat, Gandhi Thidal and old pier have been kept but tourists ignore such advisories,” said a police officer.
According to Aurofilio Schiavina, a coastal management expert and member of PondyCan, the territory cannot forbid people from bathing in the sea as it would become counter productive. “It may even damage the growth of the tourism sector. It is therefore indispensable to develop and maintain a reputed life-saving service and facility. Lifeguards need to be recruited and they must be equipped with all facilities, including life saving gadgets, jet-skis and watch towers. Just as road accidents occur all the time, they are managed with regulations and traffic guidelines. Similarly, sea bathers also need to be regulated and managed properly,” he added.
The Tourism Department could also tie-up with the Rashtriya Life-Saving Society of India to provide safe sea bathing experience for tourists, Mr Schiavina added.
