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Marina Light House will soon be opened to the public
Posted on: 16/Jul/2013 2:33:44 PM
Now there is good news to Chennaites because the Marina Light House will be opened for the general public. Madras Lighthouse is the only one in the country within city limits, but it has been off limits for the public for more than 22 years.
Former Union shipping minister G S Dhillon opened the new lighthouse off Kamarajar Salai in January 1977, but the city has had a lighthouse at least since 1796. The authorities closed it to the public following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991.
The directorate of lighthouses and lightships has decided to open the 45.72-metre-high structure to the public from August. Visitors will be able to take the elevator within the tower till the 9th floor of the 10-storey structure.
Sea-facing balconies on two sides of the tower, painted in distinctive red and white bands, will offer an unrivalled view of the Bay of Bengal. Visitors will be permitted to take the stairs or the elevator till the 9th floor of the 10-story tower, where balconies on two sides of the three-sided structure provide spectacular views of the Bay of Bengal. But the authorities fear the balconies may not be safe for the public now and have decided to raise their railings by four feet.
