Subhash Park, one of the most popular recreation spaces for families in the city, will be reopened by Vishu after remaining closed for over a year following the pandemic outbreak last year.
Both political outfits and the civil society have been demanding the reopening of the park, questioning its continuing closure when most other public spaces have been opened up to the public, not to mention the hustle and bustle of election campaigning despite the COVID-19 protocol. The park is owned by the Kochi Corporation.
“We will open the park by Vishu coinciding with the school vacation, and a cultural event will be held to mark it. The park remains closed, as the cable duct work, permission for which was granted by the last council, by Cochin Smart Mission Limited [CSML] remains to be completed,” said Mayor M. Anilkumar.
Antony Kureethara, UDF parliamentary party leader in the Kochi Corporation, has written to the Mayor, demanding the reopening of the park while questioning its closure at a time when even beaches have been opened up to the public in compliance with the COVID-19 protocol.
The absence of recreational space for children was more acutely felt, as the Children’s Park in the neighbourhood of Subhash Park has also been in a closed state for nearly three years for renovation.
The park owned by the District Council for Child Welfare (DCCW) was closed for renovation in 2018 using the ₹4 crore sanctioned by the Department of Tourism. The work was scheduled to be completed in 2019 but got delayed owing to reasons ranging from the deluge, change of contractor midway through the work, and the pandemic.
The park was originally scheduled to reopen in February. The ongoing CSML work in front of the park is delaying the reopening, besides a few finishing touches, said District Tourism Promotion Council sources.
