Date:16/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/16/stories/2008081650580200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Students clean up Marina beach

Staff Reporter

— Photo: K.V.Srinivasan

Brush-up: College students tidying up the Marina, as part of an awareness campaign organised by TTDC and Chennai Corporation on Thursday.

CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation and the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) on Thursday launched an awareness programme to keep the Marina beach clean.

As part of the initiative, hundreds of students from 42 colleges across the city participated.

They were seen thronging the beach from early in the morning picking scraps of waste strewn over the sands.

The cleaning programme was part of a larger initiative of the Department to attract more tourists to places such as the Marina beach.

“Today’s programme was intended to inculcate in people a sense of pride about their heritage. Marina beach is the second largest beach in the world and we should strive to keep it clean by not littering,” said M.Rajaram, TTDC managing director.

He said TTDC had plans to conduct similar campaign involving young volunteers in other beaches and temples across the State. Tourism Minister N.Suresh Rajan, Mayor M.Subramanian and Chennai Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni participated in the event.

The Tourism department is also conducting awareness programmes for the airport staff, autorickshaw drivers, temple staff and police personnel as part of its efforts to make the State more tourist-friendly, a press release said.