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Brand-new beach Pristine water and unpolluted sands of Juhu Chowpatty tell a tale of people's power Shraddha Singh An early morning walk at Juhu Chowpatty beach is a rather pleasant experience today. The air is fresh, the sand is pristine and the atmosphere, for a change, is refreshing. As one strolls on the beach, appreciating the outcome of the recent beautification drive, a sense of hope takes over - after all, if we could clean up our Juhu beach, it's probably not impossible to see a sparkling new city in the future. Juhu Chowpatty for Mumbai's suburban population means more than just a beach. It is, in fact, the only closest, cheapest and the most viable venue for family outings. That explains why the beach is crowded to its hilt every evening, with people pouring in by cars and buses, with family or with friends. Today, as young kids build castles in the cleaned-up sands, it's impossible not to recall the days when the coastline was disastrously dirty and polluted. Heaps of plastic bags once soaked in the sand, the waves carried with it everything from styrofoams to rotting fruits, candy-floss sticks, beer cans, coconut shells disposed off by unconcerned reveller. In short, the beach was dying. Thankfully, the bad days are over and the 3.75 km stretch dons a swanky clean avatar now. Food stalls, once scattered all over, are now housed in a separate area at one end. A mobile hospital van is parked at a corner to take care of medical emergencies. A tourism police jeep regularly patrols the shore, lifeguards are stationed at various spots and a garden has been built for children to play. The beach's makeover was a combined effort of the Juhu residents and the civic authorities. Vishwanath Mada, president of Juhu Welfare Association says, "The beautification drive managed to succeed only because of the people's support."And the positive results are showing, as Ganpat Rao, an 87-year-old visitor says, "I have been coming here for over 40 years. Today the beach is more visitor-friendly and clean than ever before." URL : http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=231946 |
