On a searing hot Tuesday, the staff of Zone – 8 of Greater Chennai Corporation rolled up their trousers to venture into a slushy pond at the Tower Park behind the Ayyappan temple, off Second Avenue Main Road in Anna Nagar.
They were employing a unique method while dealing with the foul smell emanating from the waterbody — they were catching the remaining fish found in the wet and slushy section in a bid to rid the pond of the foul smell.
Their superior, who was monitoring the work from the tiled walkers’ pathway along the steel-fenced bund of the pond, reminded the workers that whatever they caught — which was mainly fish — in the slushy pond belonged to them.
Many of the visitors were not impressed with this exercise, though. They stated that this was not how the problem should be addressed.
They said that this pond as well as another inside the park should be de-silted and deepened ahead of the south-west monsoon.
Damaged portions of the pathway pose a threat to the walkers
“Catching fish from the pond to deal with foul smell is not the right approach, because fish help keep the pond clean and improve the oxygen level in the water. Corporation officials should de-silt and deepen the ponds in the park in a scientific manner,” said S. Raghuram, a resident of Anna Nagar.
Other issues
Spread over 15.35 acres, the Anna Nagar Tower Park receives 5,000 walkers, including high-profile residents of Chennai, every day. A thick green cover and a tiled walkers’ pathway are the highlights of the park.
The tiled walkers’ pathway still bears the tell-tale signs of the fury of cyclone Vardah. The damaged portions pose a threat to the safety of children and senior citizens. The tower clock at the park also needs a complete overhaul because the clock with four sides showed different times.
When we went there, one side of clock showed 8.20 a.m; another, 9.25 a.m. and the third and fourth showed 12.55 p.m. (the correct time).
The tower at the park still has a few beehives threatening the visitors from going near to it.
