Landscape development of 100 parks in added areas of >Chennai Corporation is on the anvil. The massive exercise that is proposed to be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs. 30 crore in eight newly added zones of Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur is likely to transform many residential neighbourhoods.
The new parks with innovative landscape, herbal garden and playground would come up on pieces of land, some of which are as big as 96 grounds in Elango Nagar of Ambattur. The new facilities would be in addition to the 260 such parks in the seven zones of the old city limits. The eight zones in the newly added areas have as many as 265 pieces of land that are suitable for development of parks.
Many of the parks are being developed on OSR land. Last year, a total of 84 pieces of OSR land were handed over to the Chennai Corporation.
Chennai Corporation Commissioner P.W.C. Davidar on Thursday announced that the work on landscape development of the parks would commence in all the eight newly added zones simultaneously.
As a first step, the civic body will empanel landscape architects who will design innovative landscapes for these parks. The corporation will invite applications from such landscape architects.
The civic body, in the recent budget announcement, had proposed the formation of additional parks. In order to address the problem of poor maintenance of many of the 260 parks in the old city limits, the Corporation has a proposal for empanelment of separate park maintenance agencies comprising qualified personnel with prior experience in Chennai conditions.
The civic body is actively exploring the possibility of using recycled water for the maintenance of these parks with decentralised recycling systems that will source water from residential buildings in the neighbourhood. Large corporate entities and banks willing to maintain greenery in close proximity to their office have been asked to seek permission from the civic body.
The species of herbs and trees would be selected by the corporation officials based on the report submitted by the landscape architects. The civic body has planted 8,000 saplings in the city on its lands this year.
