THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior citizens in the city have a lot to cheer about as the city corporation is planning to set up an ‘Elders’ Corner’ -- a designated space exclusively for the elderly -- in various parks across the city, offering a wide range of activities to meet their physical, emotional and social needs.
The civic body will set up the first-ever Elder’s Corner at the renovated Vivekananda Park at Kowdiar which was reopened for the public on Monday. The renovated park and its open air auditorium were inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a function.
The project will provide more recreational space for the elderly. Town Planning Committee chairperson Palayam Rajan said: “We noticed that there is no designated space for the elderly in parks with recreational facilities. So, we considered setting up an Elders’ Corner where they will be able to spend their time fruitfully. It will be set up on the left side of the Vivekananda Park and we plan to complete work by March 2020.”
For the project, a budget of Rs 30 lakh has been set aside by the corporation. The park at Kowdiar is frequented by people of all age groups and has a separate park for children too.
“Through this project, we plan to give some privacy to the elderly crowd who might want to spend some time alone, away from the hustle and bustle in the park,” said Rajan.
The corner will have facilities for film screening with seating arrangements. There will also be an LED screen updating viewers with news and other information from the corporation.
The park was renovated at a cost of Rs 62 lakh. The open air auditorium can accommodate around 200 people and displays mural paintings and messages of Swami Vivekananda. It can also be rented for a fee which will be fixed by the Finance Standing Committee soon. Once the Elders’ Corner at Vivekananda Park is completed, the city corporation will replicate the same in other city parks.