Tender for pathway for persons with disabilities at Marina beach is incomplete, allege activists

Activists have alleged that the Greater Chennai Corporation’s tender for the construction of a pathway for persons with disabilities at Marina beach remained incomplete. Activists demand long-term maintenance planning, lifecycle budgeting, and dedicated staffing for the facility.

Disability rights activist TNM Deepak said they had started voicing the issues about the pathway on social media. Disability Rights Alliance (DRA) member Vaishnavi Jayakumar said: “While we welcome the post-monsoon rebuilding of the Marina beach access boardwalk, it is crucial that we build back better — and together. In July, Team DRA had requested a forensic analysis of the dismantled pathway’s materials and an expert-led inspection of the Besant Nagar boardwalk. Neither has happened so far.”

“The current tender is incomplete — it omits essential specifications and detailed drawings for decks, wood seasoning, joinery, and signage. Critically, it also fails to require a seven-year maintenance contract by the same contractor to ensure the quality is not affected during construction,” she said. 

In a social media post on Tuesday, Ms. Vaishnavi said: “No one reads, no one learns, no one investigates and no one cares about money being wasted. Where is the timber from the erstwhile boardwalk that ‘disappeared’? Why can’t the GCC and civil society put even 1/100^th of the effort and thought that we had put into this document on how to build back, better.”

“Without long-term maintenance planning, lifecycle budgeting, and dedicated staffing, Chennai’s disabled community risks losing beach access all over again — a vulnerability already evident at the Besant Nagar boardwalk, which suffers from neglected routine repairs and a lack of staff. Constructing the pathway is only half the battle; ensuring it lasts is what truly provides equal access,” said Vaishnavi Jayakumar, Disability Rights Alliance.

Activist Gnana Bharathi said: “GCC officials do everything on their own. They never hesitate to spend money for the redesign or reconstruction. Always saying money is not the problem for reconstruction. They justified the way the wooden planks were bound using thin nails and a little adhesive. But when these things break, they are ready to spend money to reconstruct it.”

GCC Commissioner G.S. Sameeran said: “The pathway for persons with disabilities at Marina beach was damaged during the 2023 monsoon and was repaired multiple times. A part of it was also damaged during the air show held in 2024. The present design and structure are finalised in collaboration with DRA and other stakeholders.”