No ‘bouncers’ on the Marina, but yes!

Published Date: 11/4/2009

By G Saravanan

Chennai, November 3: FOUR weeks from today if you are on the Marina and spot some ‘tough customers’ flexing their muscles, don’t bother to call the police! That’s because they would be there with the license to take you to task if you so much as looked askance at the ornamental lights and the green meadows.

They would do that and get paid for it, too. A batch of 14 private security guards, not unlike in build and brawn from ‘bouncers’ who throw their weight in private clubs, would be on duty from 8 am to 10 pm 7/7, in two shifts, on the three-km stretch and while they are there they would also see to it that you and your family are safe from whatever threat that could come your way.

The move to station private security guards at the Marina comes in the wake of the Rs 18 crore ‘Beach Beautification Drive’. As part of the drive, the Marina has been decorated with ornamental lamps and landscaped green meadows add to the ambience, a ‘facelift’ that’s a pleasant change from you know when.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said, “Unlike previous tenders for private security guards, this time we incorporated several conditions in the document, like the guards should be very young and able to manage crowds besides protecting Corporation assets.”

The idea is to make the visitor feel at ease even while keeping an eye on the expensive installations – ornamental lamps, costly granite slabs, water sprinklers et al.

The security guards at entrance points like the Labour Statute, Kannagi Statue and Gandhi Statue would help in implementing the Corporation’s ban on use of plastics on the stretch.

And remember, Cricket will be a ‘No No’ on the Marina, and in the side lanes. Our ‘friendly bouncers’ would definitely not take kindly to ‘bouncers’ of the Brett Lee and Sreesanth variety.