CHENNAI:While a big chunk of Nungambakkam area’s main roads, upmarket streets and spaces have gone through metamorphosis over the years, a tiny discreet corner of the locale has undergone its share of transformation too.
A Corporation park which lay on an interior street on Nungambakkam High Road, adjoining MOP Vaishnav College, has gone from being a dump to a little park, and it has its neighbours to thank for it.
Colour washed and fitted with swings and slides, a row of saplings and a walking track now greets one in corners where piles of trash used to once take up residence. “I was so surprised when I passed by the park, now all colourful. It looks a nice quiet corner now,” says Gayathri, a former student at the nearby MOP Vaishnav College.
The renovation work began in summer, with the arrival of a fresh coat of paint. This was following a complaint by the residents of the area to the Corporation, who realised that the unmanaged trash and breeding mosquitoes posed a safety hazard.
Now, the park is frequented by families on the weekends, and college goers.
Nearby shopowners also maintain a set of keys to the park and oversee it. “A lot of people come visit now, and we try to discourage littering,” says Gani, who works at a nearby kiosk.
Work is underway to set up a bore well, and a fitness area is planned for the rear end of the park. An allocation of 15 lakh has been made and is to be used for park development.