Date:14/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/14/stories/2008071450040100.htm

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Beach tennis court plan draws flak from activists

Vidya Venkat

— Photo: M. Karunakaran

WORK IN PROGRESS: The tennis court being developed on Elliot’s beach on Sunday.

CHENNAI: Three private tennis courts being developed by the Match Point Tennis Academy on the Elliot’s Beach have earned the wrath of environmental activists in the city.

The opposition is fuelled by the fact that the tennis courts are less than 30 metres away from the sea – a violation of Coastal Regulation Zone rules. One of the beaches is being levelled with debris and clayey soil, which is likely to damage coastal ecology, say activists. Enquiries reveal that residents of Odaikuppam, a fishing hamlet near the beach, “gave permission” to the private party to develop the courts as the spot was allegedly being used for illegal activities.

Edwin Sundara Selvan, chief coach of the Tennis Academy, said they wanted to hold tennis coaching classes for children there and had obtained the consent of the fishing hamlet. However, environmental activist T. Mohan pointed out that though ‘kuppams’ enjoyed certain customary rights for fishing on the beach side, they did not have the right to permit non-fishing activities on the seashore. “The ownership of coastal stretches rests only with the government and without their consent such developments cannot be allowed,” he said. He added that no permission could in fact be granted for such developments. Nityanand Jayaraman, activist, said the Elliot’s beach was a breeding ground for turtles and even minor alterations to the coast could destroy them.

M.H. Kalavathy, a socio-economist and technical consultant for the United Nations Development Project, said people were yet to learn their lessons from the tsunami. “When the coastal ecology is altered, the sand becomes loose and seawater gains easy entry.”

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni told The Hindu that he was unaware of this particular development on the seashore, though they had permitted beach volleyball there recently. “They are supposed to get permission from the PWD for this, not from the hamlet. We will make enquiries about it immediately,” he said.