The park at 14th Main Road in Shanti Colony is one of the biggest public spaces in the neighbourhood. From morning to evening, it used to be buzzing with activities, drawing many residents of the locality and surrounding areas. But today, the park is locked. The reason: It’s in a shambles, still bearing signs of Vardah-inflicted damages, which include an overturned compound wall.
Five months on, Chennai Greater Corporation is yet to pay attention to this space. Located between Poonamallee High Road and Second Avenue Main Roadthe park was opened in July 2009.
Every day, on an average, the park receives more than 1,000 visitors — mainly walkers — from Shanthi Colony, 13th Main Road, Fourth, Third and Second Avenue Main Roads, Aminjikarai, Thirumangalam and NSK Nagar.
The park has a children’s play area, toilets, ample seating arrangements, well-lit lampposts and a tiled walkers’ pathway, which stretches to around 400 metres. The park also stands out for its attractive landscaping and a thick line of trees.
“This neighbourhood does not have a common public space for such leisure activities, which is why this park registers a significant footfall,” points out S. Vijaya, a resident of Anna Nagar.
Heavy damage
Though the Corporation has closed the facility, anti-socials access it through the broken sections of the compound wall. They can be seen loitering around the facility for hours. As a result, many women passengers have stopped using the bus shelter near the entrance of the park. Many school and college students have also stopped using 14th Main Road. In addition to the compound wall, a few portions of the tiled walkers’ pathway, some seats and trees have been damaged in the cyclone.
When contacted, a Corporation official said, “We will take steps to reconstruct the compound wall.”
