Nageswara Rao Park presents a microcosmic view of Mylapore. It has been supporting music and arts, something we readily associate with Mylapore. The mikeless kutcheris (concerts), conducted on Sundays at the park, seem to have become a new genre of music. During the music season, regular concerts are organised at the park.
Lush green and well-equipped, the park, located on Luz Corner, is a hit with residents as well as passers-by seeking a spot of relaxation.
Given these factors, it is disheartening to see that a section of the park is not maintained well.
In a shambles
At the rear end of the park, there is a hill-heap of garbage, mainly dry leaves and fallen tree branches. As it has accumulated over a long period of time, this garbage reeks.
The poor maintenance of the park is reflected in the tiled pathway, which is marred by craters. In many places, the fencing along pathway is out of place. Every day, on an average, over 8,000 walkers use the tiled pathway.
And then, civic officials have ensured that the overgrown trees at the park are trimmed regularly. Shrubs and tall grasses between the compound wall and walkers path seem to be growing unchecked.
Trunks of fallen trees that are cut into different sizes and kept near concrete slabs serve as seats. The presence of such wood is obstructing free movement of visitors, including children and senior citizens.
At several spots, electrical light holders are damaged.
The park has two entrances — on Luz Corner Main Road and on the rear side of the park.
The Luz Corner entrance of the park is sloping and due to this, rainwater stagnates in the space between the entrance and the walkers’ pathway. Some visitors attribute this to the defunct stormwater drain system at the park.
“It’s sad to see such a famous park being maintained in a slipshod manner. During the music season, the concerts here draw many well-known personalities,” points out S. Mohan, a regular at the park.
Violation of rules
As per rules, the park is closed between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m on all days. However, this rule seems to exist only on paper, as one can see several visitors, including school students, loiter around the park during these hours.
Some can even be spotted having their lunch and chatting, while a few others can be seen enjoying their afternoon siesta.
Incidentally, the compound wall of the park is only around four feet tall, with half of the wall being steel-fenced. Due to this, many young visitors simply jump over the wall.
The absence of a security system at the park also makes it easier for people to flout the rules.
When contacted, a Corporation official said, “We will have the dry leaves and other garbage removed from the park.”
Over six months
According to the spokesperson of Sundaram Finance, which has been maintaining the park for the last 15 years, the problem of inefficient garbage disposal at the park has been persisting for more than six months. Local residents object to the park staff dumping garbage (generated at the park) on street lanes (which, in any case, is not the right thing to do). As a result, the park staff dump the garbage, mainly dry leaves and branches of trees, in the rear section of the park. On the other hand, Corporation officials want the park staff to dump the garbage on the road, around garbage bins (the bins cannot hold the amount of garbage from the park) as they cannot come into the park to collect the garbage every day.
With no permanent solution in sight, the park staff dump the garbage on the park premises without obstructing the walkers’ pathway at the park.
“With the involvement of the local MLA, civic officials and residents, a permanent solution to the problem of garbage accumulation should be found. As far as security is concerned, we provide round-the-clock security at the park. However, we cannot physically stop people from jumping into the park during the closed hours (11 a.m. - 3 p.m.),” the spokesperson said.
