COIMBATORE: The plan to set up a first-of-its-kind butterfly park in the Coimbatore district has hit rough weather.
The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) had announced in its 2023-24 financial budget it would be setting up a butterfly park (lepidopterarium) on the bank of the Kumaraswamy tank. Though the civic body announced that it would be set up in the same financial year itself, it didn’t take any steps to implement the project.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior official from the Coimbatore Smart City Projects said, “Unfortunately, the people who took interest and came up with such projects and announcements are currently not with the CCMC now. The ideas and vision of the officials who are in their place are different. So the previous announcements have been shelved for the time being. However, we will definitely implement the butterfly project in one of the water bodies developed under the Smart City Projects. Just like Valankulam has boating and Periyakulam has zip cycling and an experience centre, each of the water bodies will have its own attractions. The works on the butterfly park will begin soon.”
The butterfly park could have given a new lease of life to Kumaraswamy tank and its shore just as the civic body had rejuvenated seven lakefronts under the Smart City Projects by shelling out crores of rupees. These seven embankments are of Ukkadam Periyakulam, Valankulam, Kurichi Lake, Selva Chinthamani, Muthannankulam, Selvampathy Kumaraswamy and Krishnampathy.