The first lockdown — imposed way back in March 2020 — has still not been lifted for Taisha Park at AIS Housing Complex, a gated community in Nerkundram. Between then and now, the park has remained as shut as an air-tight container.
A Greater Chennai Corporation official offers two reasons for taking this rather extreme position. One, a raft of pending maintenance works. And two — which is suspected to be the main reason — the park usually draws many visitors, and that could prove quite a handful during a pandemic. Sprawling across 6,000-odd sq.m. of Open Space Reservation, the park is well-maintained and is found cheek by jowl with this gated community (AIS Housing Complex), which is home to many IAS and IPS officers.
“In the pre-COVID days, the park used to witness many visitors, especially during the weekends, and in these COVID times we did not want to take a chance. We have even sought police’s help to manage the crowd in the park — the facility is that popular,” says Corporation engineer of Division 148, Zone 11.
Unlike other parks in the neighbourhood, many residents say, Taisha Park is inviting, having been maintained well, and caters to people of all age groups. The facility has a fountain, a rest area, a tennis court and a tiled pathway.
S. Arumainathan, president of Virugambakkam Residents' Welfare Association, points out that GCC has taken a good decision by not throwing it open. He says: “I have been to the park a couple of times and we know the kind of crowd it attracts.”
