While a beach nurturing project launched by the tourism department has brought back a once-vanished seashore near Gandhi Thidal, there are growing apprehensions about whether the scenic stretch will be a respite after drowning deaths. Turning into fatal attraction.
Ensuring the safety of visitors to the popular beachfront has become a major challenge for the department and law enforcement agencies as the shoreline has become a virtual death trap for tourists.
Two people died tragically in back to back drowning incidents in the last few days. The latest incident of drowning took place on Wednesday when a 27-year-old man from Salem died while swimming. He had come to swim with his friends when a huge wave pulled him into the deep water. Although his friends were able to rescue him from the sea and take him to the general hospital, doctors declared him brought dead.
A few days ago a cab driver from Bangalore had a similar fate. According to police, at least eight people lost their lives while swimming on the beach during the last four months. Data available with Grand Bazaar and Odiansalai police station showed that two people died of drowning in January, three in February, two in March and one in April.
In fact, drowning deaths are likely to be higher if not helped in time, mainly by the fishing community and people on the beach.
The absence of lifeguards on the beach promenade has become a major concern. Some life guards were posted in front of the Chief Secretariat before the outbreak of the pandemic, but they did not return to duty due to salary payment issues.
“We used to have at least five to six guards near the secretariat and some near the old port area. But nowadays we haven’t found any lifeguards in the Beach Promenade area. We policemen on duty can only advise tourists not to venture out but on weekends it becomes extremely difficult for us to control the crowd. Most of the time, tourists don’t even pay attention to our instructions to swim. Sign boards warning the dangers of swimming have been put up near the Secretariat, Gandhi Thidal and Old Ghat, but tourists ignore such advisories,” said a police officer.
According to Orofilio Schavina, a coastal management expert and member of Pondicain, the region cannot forbid people from bathing in the sea as it would become counter-productive. “It can also harm the development of the tourism sector. It is therefore imperative to develop and maintain a reputed life saving service and facility. Lifeguards should be recruited and equipped with all facilities including life saving gadgets, jet-skis and watch towers. Just as road accidents happen all the time, they are managed with rules and traffic guidelines. Similarly, sea bathers also need to be properly regulated and managed,” he said.
Shri Shiavina said that the tourism department may also tie up with the National Life Saving Society of India to provide a safe sea bathing experience to the tourists.