Poorly maintained Lourdsamy Pillai Park on East Boulevard Road in Tiruchi.
| Photo Credit: M. MOORTHY
Most public parks in Tiruchi continue to be in a state of neglect due to poor maintenance.
Aimed at creating avenues for the people of the city, mainly women and children, the Tiruchi Corporation took up a drive to establish public parks and open gyms in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The civic body established many parks in different parts of the city by sourcing from Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUIT) and Smart Cities Mission.
According to sources, there are about 125 parks in all four zones of the city. Right from playing equipment for children, the parks had many facilities for people from all walks of life. Some of them had open-air amphitheatres to screen entertainment shows and promotional and recreational short moves to engage the visiting public. The illuminated and decorated parks, indeed, received a good response from the public in the initial stages. Almost all of them were regularly opened to the public in the morning and evening There were arrangements in place to maintain the parks.
However, it is said that except for a few parks, most of the parks in the city have failed to serve their purpose due to a lack of maintenance mechanisms. It is alleged that except for parks in main thoroughfares, several of those in interior places are not being regularly opened to the public. In the absence of caretakers, it is said there has been wild growth of bushes.
The parks on Mettu Street in Woraiyur, Salai Road, Royal Road, Namma Tiruchi Park on the Uyyakondan canal are among the badly managed park. The park on Royal Road was once frequented by many visitors. It would be busy in the evenings. However, the number of visitors is said to have gone down drastically mainly due to poor maintenance.
Several newly established parks had amphitheatres to stage shows and screen short films to entertain the visitors. But they were hardly attempts to use the amphitheatres.
K. Janardhanan, a retired Forest Department official of Bheema Nagar said that the parks would have become popular had the Corporation made efforts to utilise the infrastructure properly. The civic body had done nothing to popularise the public parks after declaring them open for public use.
K. Suresh, Corporation Councillor representing Ward 23, said that the public parks, which were established with huge sums, could not be allowed to go without proper cleaning and maintenance mechanism. The parks should serve to their purpose.