In over a decade, 56-year-old S. Venugopal, a resident of V.V. Nagar in Villivakkam, has never missed his morning walk at the Corporation park in the neighbourhood.
But now, like his neighbours, he prefers to walk down the main road. The reason: vehicles parked outside the gates of the park.
Some residents take the trouble of going to another park in Poompookar Nagar, a distance of around two kilometres, at least on weekends and holidays. V.V. Nagar has a large number of retired government staff, who settled there a few decades ago.
Most of the youngsters work abroad, leaving behind their families, including their children in the care of their parents.
“Taking our grandchildren to the park used to be fun. Not anymore,” said K. Narayanan, a resident. Spread over 9,000 sq. ft., the park has a tiled pathway for walkers, children’s play equipment, seating arrangement and a compound wall with steel fencing. However, due to lack of maintenance, a part of the tiled pathway is broken.
Giving his assurance, a Corporation official said: “Soon, a team from the zonal office will inspect the park and give it a facelift.”
