Greater Chennai Corporation to complete work on 143 parks by the end of May

Greater Chennai Corporation to complete 143 parks by May 31, residents demand more workers for maintenance.

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is set to complete work on 143 parks in various parts of the city by May 31. The parks will be launched after the Model Code of Conduct is lifted.

As the parks are expected to attract many visitors, residents have demanded the appointment of more workers for the facilities’s maintenance. The work on development of the parks, estimated to cost ₹40.74 crore, started in 2022-2023, after the civic body identified 149 land parcels for development. However, six parks were dropped after local problems were reported.

Many of the parks, such as Mint Park, have already been completed. Other parks include the Sakthi Nagar park in ward 193 in Sholinganallur zone and Tata communication park in Ambattur zone. Residents have demanded the GCC to improve maintenance of the new parks as a number of existing ones have been closed owing to Metro Rail work.

Anna Nagar councillor T.V. Shemmozhi said an Open Space Reservation land on Anna Nagar Fifth Avenue had been converted into a park. “The new park is expected to be visited by residents of Anna Nagar Fifth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and Z Block,” he said.

Meanwhile, the civic body has received complaints about mosquito breeding in parks where ponds and sponge parks were created for groundwater recharge. A resident of Anna Nagar said mosquito breeding had increased because of water stagnation in the structure created in the park developed at Anna Nagar I Block, Fourth Street.

Corporation officials said an adequate number of workers would be posted to start maintenance of the parks in all the zones of the city.