Urban News

The Hindu        03.09.2010

Corporation opens a number of parks

Special Correspondent

PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

GREEN ZONE:A new park of the Coimbatore Corporation at Thavasi Nagar at Ward 60 in the city. Over the last two days, the Corporation opened about 30 parks. —

Coimbatore: Over the last two days (Wednesday and Thursday), the Coimbatore Corporation opened nearly 30 parks across the city. These were among the 40 created over a total space of 18 acres in various wards of the Corporation in the run-up to the World Classical Tamil Conference that was held in the city from June 23 to 27.

The Corporation already has 46 parks created on reserved sites.

Forty more public purpose sites marked for parks have been turned into green spaces.

The Corporation says that more parks will be established on such sites allocated for this purpose.

The parks opened on Wednesday and Thursday have been established at more than Rs. 3.5 crore.

The Corporation clarified at a Council meeting sometime ago that the opening of the parks was delayed because of some small works that were to be completed. This was in response to charges by some councillors that the civic body was waiting for a prominent person to open the parks.

Officials said the parks could be opened with the councillors of the respective wards soon after the works were completed.

The parks were opened by Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy on Wednesday, in the presence of Mayor R. Venkatachalam, Commissioner Anshul Mishra and Deputy Mayor N. Karthik.

Apart from enough greenery, the parks have been provided with a walkers' path. The Coimbatore Corporation has also formed a Horticulture Wing to oversee the maintenance of the parks, apart from the roadside parks and traffic islands.

While the physical maintenance of the green spaces is to be outsourced, the wing will plan landscapes and lend expertise in designing.

The Deccan Chronicle  30.08.2010

Chennai, Aug. 29: While the city corporation continues to spend crores on developing new parks and renovating some old ones in Chennai, a park developed at a cost of Rs 20 lakh behind Spencer Plaza on Binny Road in the heart of the city is languishing due to neglect.

Once a paradise for walkers, particularly the elderly and children, the corporation park has now become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a den for drinkers who party till late in the night hiding behind the overgrown bushes. Weeds and damaged walkways have also turned the park unusable, said local resident Mr Chandramohan, adding that even entering the park has now become difficult since the entrance has been blocked by a mobile tea shop that has come up from nowhere.

The seesaw, swing and slide erected in the park for children have also become unusable as they have got rusted besides being covered by overgrown bushes. Flowering plants that once decorated the park are nowhere to be seen now, pointed out another resident, Ms Sowmiya.

Apart from being a place to hang out in the evenings for locals, the park used to be place where employees of commercial establishments in the surroundings would enjoy their lunch and relax briefly after work.

Failure of the corporation to employ staff for maintenance was the major reason for the park loosing sheen, complained area residents. They wonder how the park has so far not featured in the civic body’s list of the parks for getting a facelift.