The Thiru Vi Ka Park, a favourite of walkers in the Shenoy Nagar area, is likely to get a major infrastructural boost with a host of new amenities, including a meditation and yoga centre, and considerable space for underground parking. However, it may be a year and a half before the park reopens and residents can actually use these facilities.
The park was closed to the public in 2011 for Metro Rail work. Officials had said it would be reopened after operations began on the underground stretch from Thirumangalam to Nehru Park. While trains began running on the stretch in May, the park is nowhere close to being reopened.
According to officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), a tender has been floated for an underground commuter amenities centre which would have a plethora of facilities. “We will begin with landscaping work on the park and then go on to develop facilities like the yoga and meditation centre,” an official said. The work is estimated to cost about ₹4 crore.
The park originally spanned about 8.8 acres but officials said a portion of it was acquired for the construction of the station and an ancillary building. Of the nearly 300 trees in the park, about 130 were pulled down during the construction. CMRL officials said that about 1,300 saplings would be planted and 20 trees would be replanted.
This park was redeveloped and opened in 2008.
Residents unhappy
Residents of the area are visibly upset over the cutting of the trees and the closure of the park. T.K. Srinivas Chari, a resident of Shenoy Nagar for three decades, said, “I felt very emotional when they closed it down. All we want now is for the park to be reopened soon with enough green cover. Otherwise, this place feels like a concrete jungle.”
They are also worried that the water table in the area could be affected. Surabhi Rajan, who has lived in the locality for 45 years, said they don’t particularly care about the landscaping of the park and only want the trees to be restored. “Imagine walking during summer. What will help? Lawns or trees? The lung space of the locality has been lost. We have been waiting for the park to be reopened in its original form,” she said.
Residents also pointed out that a parking space already exists and it is unclear why an investment is being made on more such space, especially since only a few hundred people use the station on a daily basis.
