Activists have alleged that the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) 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. 

“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.”

The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) has floated a tender to fix the rate contract for supply of one gram gold rings for babies born in government hospitals across the State under the Thaimaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam.

Last month, the State government had announced that Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will inaugurate the scheme on September 15, the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai and a Government Order was issued. According to the order, gold rings would be procured for 4,41,667 deliveries at a total cost of ₹755.83 crore — ₹17,000 each — along with ₹5 crore towards administration costs.

The scheme elicited mixed responses, with concerns raised by public health professionals and political parties, including how the funds could be better spent on strengthening healthcare. One of the contentious aspects of the scheme was the decision to entrust the TNMSC, an agency that was established in 1994-95 to ensure the availability of essential medicines in government hospitals, with the procurement of gold rings.

The TNMSC has now gone ahead and floated the tender. As per the notification, it proposes to fix a rate contract for a period of one year for supply of approximately 4,41,667 one-gram gold rings (22 carat) per year. It has provided the tentative annual requirement for each hospital across all districts. The Government Medical College Hospital, Tiruvannamalai, recorded the highest projected annual requirement at 14,409, followed by the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Hospital for Women and Children, Egmore, with 14,197 and the Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai, with 14,149.

For the purpose of financial bid evaluation, the benchmark gold rate for one gram of 22 carat (916) gold is fixed as ₹13,000, the document said.

The ornament will be a smooth-edged baby ring suitable for newborns. The design, dimensions, and engraving pattern (if any) will be approved and finalised by the purchaser (TNMSC) prior to commencement of bulk production. Each ring will be securely packed in a transparent polycarbonate blister card with a tamper-evident seal. Each unit will bear a unique serial number corresponding to the batch/lot number, hallmark unique identification, and BIS Hallmark/Assay Certificate details to ensure complete traceability, the document said. The front side of the blister card must be embossed/printed with the Government of Tamil Nadu logo, a portrait of the Chief Minister, and the name of the scheme, it stated.