The Greater Chennai Corporation on Sunday removed shops on the Marina beach as part of the drive to clear space for the second phase of Blue Flag beach.
The civic body intensified the drive to remove shops in the stretch identified for the Blue Flag beach certification, as the second phase is expected to be launched this month.
GCC Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran on Sunday posted a photo of the beach beautification work on the social media platform X and said: “Blue Flag Area Phase 2 is coming up at the Marina. Will be more than 50 acres with no vending zone.”
On Sunday, as many as 28 shops were removed from the Marina beach from the Blue Flag beach area. The first phase of the Blue Flag beach has already been opened for the visitors at the Marina beach near the swimming pool and the certification is expected shortly. Work on receiving Blue Flag certification is under way and various civic agencies are working to keep the beach sands clean and reducing pollution of sea water for certification.
As the Cooum and the Adyar rivers continue to be heavily polluted with sewage discharge and industrial waste, owing to a delay in setting up sewage treatment plants, the Marina beach and other city beaches near the river mouth have been found to be polluted.
