It has been five years since the ‘Maadi Poonga’ in Royapuram was given a makeover by the Chennai Corporation.
Also called the ‘Hanging Gardens of Chennai’, the park, located on Ibrahim Sahib Street near Royapuram Railway Station, is among the several historic places that lie ignored in north Chennai.
The small park was developed beside a fortification wall built by the British government for a length of six km from Wall Tax Road. The fortification wall has given way to concrete buildings with only the park remaining as a relic.
The well laid-out park that is under the protection of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was renovated by the Chennai Corporation at a cost of Rs. 7.5 lakh in 2009. The footpaths were paved with designer tiles, a fresh coat of paint was given and grass was rolled out on the ground. The civic body also posted a maintenance contractor to clean the park.
While the cleanliness of the park is not in question, the maintenance contractor has been unable to keep residents from misusing the park. G. Annadurai, a resident of Moolakothalam, said that not many people know the historical significance of the wall that protected the then Madras Presidency or the park which is one of the few links to the glorious past of the city.
A senior Corporation official said that a comprehensive scoring system to rate the maintenance contractor has been proposed which would help in better maintenance of the park. He confirmed there was no proposal to renovate the park, as there was no need for it.
The park resembling a fort wall can be accessed through a big grill gate that connects to the main portion where two Ashoka Pillars welcome the visitors.
