Around five families on the Besant Nagar beach coast live in huts with thatched roofs, asbestos-sheet walls and broken doors.
| Photo Credit: R. Aishwaryaa
Garbage strewn across the sand, mounds of debris along the shoreline, and rows of thatched huts vulnerable to flooding continue to mark portions of the beach stretch close to Kalakshetra Colony in Besant Nagar, and close to north of the Thiruvanmiyur Beach.Residents alleged that civic issues and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations remain unaddressed. “At night, sometimes we wake up to check whether snakes have entered our huts. There are no garbage bins here, so waste is dumped in the open. Reptiles, rats, and street dogs are common here,” said Sarasa and Dasamma, elderly fish vendors who have lived on the beach for several years.They said, “Around five families on the stretch live in huts with thatched roofs, asbestos-sheet walls and broken doors. People with means are building new cement houses. We cannot afford upgrading to concrete homes, so we moved to huts. There are no electricity or sewage connections for huts here, so we depend on public toilets for bathing and other needs.” Residents said debris had been dumped at two locations along the coast to harden the sandy surface for easier movement of vehicles and transport of goods.Cement bags, tiles, and construction materials were seen stacked at portions of the stretch, close to where fisherfolk park their boats, which leads towards the houses there. Attempts to lay roads close to the shoreline had earlier been halted by Chennai Corporation officials, residents said, adding that fresh activity had resumed in recent weeks. Locals expressed concern that additional construction near the coast could increase risks during heavy rain, flooding, and sea ingress.
