The Hindu : Walkway construction to be resumed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 02, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Walkway construction to be resumed

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Feb. 1. The construction of the Rs. 36-lakh walkway on the Shanghumughom beach, that was suspended following opposition from the locals and the fishing community, will resume on Monday.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting convened at the office of the Irrigation Division Executive Engineer in the capital the other day. The meeting was told by the Irrigation officials that the construction of the walkway would be taken up without marring the natural beauty of the Shanghumughom beach.

A two metre-wide and 250 metre-wide walkway with three steps facing the sea will be constructed by augmenting the existing boundary wall as part of beautifying the beach. The walkway and the three steps, meant for those visitors who do not want to enter the beach, will have a width of only four metres.

The proposed walkway will not in anyway affect the beach, which is 50 to 75 metres wide, the meeting was told.

Moreover, the walkway will check sea erosion and protect the existing Shanghumughom-Airport road.

It was also pointed out at the meeting by the officials that the walkway will not be a hindrance to the fishermen in pulling the nets to the shore. The walkway will not be constructed in the route of the traditional `arattu' procession of the Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple.

The meeting also decided to take up with the officials concerned the need to improve the basic facilities for hundreds of tourists arriving at Shanghumughom beach.

Besides the officials, the meeting was attended by the councillors, Xavier Lopez, Beroma Patric and the former councillors, Ledger Bava and R.V. Jolly.

The Irrigation officials and the contractor, who arrived with an excavator and other equipment to remove the sand from the area on January 24, had to abandon the work when the locals and the fishermen obstructed it. .

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