Civic body continues drive of realignment of shops on the Marina

Last week, the Corporation began a drive to regulate the food outlets dotted across Marina beach as well as zero in on encroachments that have cropped up recently. The shops were being restricted to a few rows in designated spots. 

A Corporation official said, “We are merely organising the shops on Marina beach. If you look at the situation now, the beach is crowded with many shops, some of which spring up without permission. If we let this go unchecked, the entire beach will be taken over for commercial establishments, leaving little space for the public.” 

The idea is to regulate the outlets and ensure that they occupy a designated spot on the beach. “We will realign these shops in a few rows. This includes all the food outlets – both the makeshift fast food joints as well as the push carts. Currently, there are more than 1,500 eateries, which are haphazardly placed. Last week, we could not complete this procedure, as the vendors were not cooperating, which is making the task difficult. Next week, we will be following up with this, with the support of the Greater Chennai Police,” said the official. 

Ramesh, who runs a fast food joint on the Marina, said that the vendors were opposing this move, as it would affect their business. “Now, all the shops are spread out. Once the Corporation re-arranges the shops in rows, all of them will be in one place, which will result in business being divided among the number of establishments present,” he said. 

A health inspection too was under way, as more than 600 stalls were inspected and food samples collected from more than 200 shops. The Corporation also seized water packets and food, that didn’t meet the food standards.