Residents of Ennore’s Thazhangkuppam want seawall opening to remain

Residents of Thazhangkuppam in Ennore have urged the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that the opening in the seawall near their village remains open.

Rough seas recently caused damage to part of the Ennore Expressway. An official said, “The sand and stones under the road had started to shift under the influence of the waves. The Ministry of Highways temporarily reinforced this section of the road with sandbags.”

“If any activity will be carried out on the beach, we need CRZ. [Coastal Regulation Zone] customs clearance. So we are working to achieve this. We will ensure that part of the road is safe and drivable. “Our opinion is to close this embankment to prevent the road from being damaged in the future,” he said.

However, P. Sasikumar of Thazhangkuppam’s fishermen’s panchayat said that around 25 non-motorized boats belonging to fishermen of the village are kept here. “They are fishing within 500 meters of the village. If this opening is closed, they will have to row diagonally from the village and travel 2 kilometers to the estuary, which will take a full day. This is simply not possible.”

beach access

S. Ganesan, one of the residents of the neighborhood, said that this clearing was used as a beach by the residents of the surrounding villages on weekends. “There are not many openings on the seaside to access the beach. This is called Thazhangkuppam Beach and if this opening is closed, there will be no trace of our beach. Rocks have been placed on both sides of the opening. If more rocks are placed, like two ivory tusks, it will protect both the road and our beach. If the government adds two more sets of rocks outside these, it will help further reduce wave action and erosion,” he said.