Beaches along ECR turn death traps

CHENNAI: The incident on Tuesday where two teenagers were feared drowned in the sea off Mamallapuram, some 60 km south of here, has once again brought into focus the disregard beach-goers, especially youngsters have for the rough seas. It has also turned the spotlight on the inadequate police patrolling along the coastline.
According to the Mamallapuram police, the body of G Prabakar (19) was found by fishermen 10 km from the famous shore temple while M Mani (18) is still missing.They had gone on Tuesday with two other friends to the world heritage site at Mamallapuram before venturing into the sea.
Last week, three persons in their early 20s, part of a group from Royapettah that came to visit a dargah in Kovalam, drowned in the sea there. According to police sources, in the past one month alone, at least 20 persons, most of them in their early 20s, have drowned in the sea off beaches between Tiruvanmiyur and Mamallapuram a distance of around 40 km. "We warn visitors, especially youngsters who are always thrilled about swimming in the sea, not to venture into rough waters but they never listen. They remain on shore as long as we are present. Once we go to monitor other spots along the coast, they venture into the sea. It is a challenging task but we are doing our best to reduce the casualities," said police sources. Between January and May this year, more than 40 persons drowned off beaches between Tiruvanmiyur and Mamallapuram, they added.
The number of casualties has risen in the past few years with 2010 accounting for the highest number of deaths over 50. In 2009 it was 48 and 22 in 2006. "Unlike fishermen who know when to venture into the sea and which parts are safe, most tourists, especially youngsters, are ignorant about the dangers involved. They just want to have fun with their friends and they foolishly jump into the sea. Even good swimmers drown in many cases. Awareness about the nature of rough seas is the need of the hour," says Mamallapuram town panchayat chairman P Yashwant Rao.
Struggling with inadequate manpower, the local police find it to juggle their routine work along with patrolling of the coastline. Besides, many times, police personnel are deployed to provide security for VIPs. As a result, in places like mamallapuram where despite there about half-a-dozen watch towers on the beach, none of them is manned. Almost a dozen display boards have been installed in various locations, in local and foreign languages, to warn tourists about the rough seas but many have disintegrated while the writing on others is illegible. With practically no one to stop them, visitors spend as much as time they can in the sea, risking their lives. Everyday, on an average, around 1,500 visitors come to the Mamallapuram shore temple. On weekends, the number goes up to 5,000.