It is close to noon. There are no seats for visitors at Choolaimedu Gill Nagar Park, adjacent to the office of the Chennai Corporation.
Most visitors are senior citizens, but there are also women and office-goers taking a short break. While speaking to The Hindu, residents of Ward No. 109 said it used to be one of the better maintained wards till a decade ago. For the past 10 years, the ward has not seen any improvement to its infrastructure but the quality of amenities in the neighbouring wards is far better.
Congestion on important roads during the peak hours on Choolaimedu High Road, Krishnapuram Main Road and Athreyapuram Main Road is worsening but there seems to be no inclination to put in place a permanent solution, residents said.
According to a cross-section of the residents, for almost a decade they have been demanding the installation of speed breakers on roads near schools and as well as parks and playgrounds but nothing has been done so far. Corporation officials too conceded that residents’ demand for speed breakers have not been fully met with.
“Parks in neighbouring wards are better maintained, but the Gill Nagar Park has been neglected for reasons known only to the corporation,” said C.Ramesh, a resident. Another common grievance residents of this ward have is the problems caused by the open Trustpuram Canal. “Not just for people in this ward, but this is also a problem to families in other areas of Choolaimedu and Kodambakkam too,” said R. Rajesekar, resident.
The government should consider building permanent covers over the canal at least in the most problematic areas if it found it prohibitive, residents suggested. Corporation officials said that problems related to traffic congestion had to be addressed jointly by the traffic police. While the amenities are available, the complaints are about poor maintenance.
