May Day Park is a hive of activity. New tiles on the walkers’ path, lights and seats for visitors are being placed. Women are planting saplings at one corner of the park. The park is getting a facelift, after almost a decade when Chennai Metro Rail Limited took over the facility for constructing underground tunnels.
Once restored by CMRL, the park will be maintained by the Greater Chennai Corporation. Spread over 14.5 acres, the park is the only green lung of Chintadripet.
“Walkers from nearby neighbourhoods such as Triplicane, Chepauk, Park Town, Pudupet and Egmore visit the park every day after it was open for public a few months ago. However, the basic facilities should be upgraded at the park to attract more visitors,” says V. Chandran, a resident of Egmore.
At present, the park has a tiled walker’s path covering a distance of around 800 metres. Work on planting saplings is under way. A portion of the compound wall on Arunachal Road opposite the Chintadripet police station is also being built. Most of the equipment stored by Metro Rail has been relocated from the park.
CHENNAI, 18/09/2019, For City : The May Day Park getting a facelift, Chintadripet in Chennai on Wednesday. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu
As part of the restoration work, the park will get concrete seats, LED lights, toilets, drinking water, children’s play area, a badminton court and a rainwater harvesting system.
Corporation officials say that more facilities such as CCTV cameras, round security personnel, yoga centre, space to organise health and awareness camps, meetings and music festivals will be provided once the park is taken over by the civic body. Additional bore wells will also be sunk to ensure uninterpreted water supply for the plants.
