Olive ridley nesting beach in Chennai bulldozed for Ganesha idol immersion

GCC dumps tonnes of construction debris at prime turtle nesting sites violating coastal laws

- SV KRISHNA CHAITANYA @ Chennai

IN what appears to be a blatant violation of coastal laws, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has flattened out a vast stretch of the beach at Foreshore Estate, a prime olive ridley turtle nesting site, by dumping tonnes of construction debris to facilitate the idol immersion after Vinayagar Chathurthi festival.

When TNIE visited the beach on Monday evening, GCC trucks and earthmovers were found unloading tonnes of rubble and levelling it into a hardened surface for heavy vehicles to carry giant idols for immersion, which happens after the festival on Wednesday.