GCC demolishes wall to prevent open defecation

Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has demolished the compound wall of Santhome Beach playground on Marina Loop Road on Wednesday to begin constructing a new see-through fence with steel grills. The aim is to prevent open defecation, as the solid wall had been providing cover for people using the area as a toilet.
For nearly five decades, residents from fishing communities of Dummingkuppam and Mullaima Nagar have used the playground for this purpose.Although the playground is being developed into a football field with an open gym and public toilet, the construction — worth 1.2 crore — has been delayed for over a year. This has contributed to continued open defecation, according to TOI report on Sept 12.
"We will finish the construction and open the toilet within a month," said GCC Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran.
The entire stretch of Loop Road, from Lighthouse to Srinivasapuram, hosts around 350 encroachments.
"We plan to relocate all fish stalls to the modernized fish market by this weekend," said the commissioner. "About 200 encroachers have received tokens, and we will hold a draw on Thursday to allocate stalls to them."
The GCC also has plans to declare the beach side of Loop Road a non-vending zone.
"Once that's in place, we will evict vendors who try to set up stalls along the beach," Kumaragurubaran said.