Making Chennai better: Parks to become inclusive spaces

Chennai: Adequate green cover, gym facilities for women and playing apparatus for children. Chennai residents can now witness the upgraded facilities at their local parks as Greater Chennai Corporation is racing up with the beautification works, ahead of local body elections.

Although it might not be feasible to complete the plan for all 503 parks within a month, officials from the park department said they are currently focusing on parks with less than one per cent of green cover. With parks becoming the preferred recreational spots, residents now demand for such inclusive spaces that cater to the needs of the whole family.

“Beaches and parks are a way to connect to nature. Parks are the top preferred places for many who stay away from the coast,” said B. Gangadhar, an Avadi resident.

Councillors who have learnt the pulse of residents, are exhausting their annual councillor funds of Rs 30 lakh on park reconstruction.  Ward 165 Councilor from Adambakkam, M.R Naresh Kumar said two parks in the locality are being modernised at a cost of Rs 30 lakh.

“The renovated parks  will have pedestrian paths, yoga slabs and gym for women. Unlike the grass, plants that could provide the much needed shade will be planted,” said an official of the parks department.

Special status to park, playgrounds dept

In a major step that would improvise the city’s green cover on par with other metropolitan cities, greater Chennai Corporation on Saturday passed a resolution that gives special status to park and playgrounds department.

The department, which has an engineer and three superintendents, will now have coordination from various departments: agriculture, horticulture, forests, CMDA, director of college and school education, medicals, statistics, highways, PWD and governor estate.

The main propaganda of the inclusion is to sensitise people on planting trees and the available green projects. Expanded Greater Chennai Corporation, which accounts for 426 square kilometers comprises  just 6.25 per cent of greenery in contrast to the international standards, which allocated it to 33. 3 per cent.

Corporation officials believe that the resolution will bring change in terms of greenery. “Other metropolitan cities– Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore rural, Kolkata and Bangalore top the list in terms of green cover unlike Chennai which ranks sixth. This resolution would make the city green in no time,” said the park superintendent.

Environmentalists are elated over the move and said that there is a lot of scope for the tree plantation in the city. K. Ponmalai, secretary of Pasumai Thaayagam, said, “It would enable into scientific plantation of trees in the right places.

Unpermitted cutting of trees can be curbed if the forest department is included to the civic body.” “Trees can be planted alongside the 220kilometres of waterways and the existing 200 kilometers near the water bodies. Playgrounds and parks could also be utilized for the move,” said Prasanna Kumar, a researcher.

“A science student will have more knowledge about the flora unlike an engineer whose main focus is development. Introducing graduates from science related field is a welcome move,” he added.