COIMBATORE: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday inaugurated the first phase of the Semmozhi Poonga in Gandhipuram, unveiling 45 acres of world-class green and cultural space developed at a cost of Rs 208.5 crore.
The park, part of a larger 165-acre master plan set up on the former central prison premises, makes it Tamil Nadu’s largest urban eco-cultural project to date.
“I have fulfilled the promise made by Kalaignar (late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi), who is both leader and father (to me),” Stalin later said in a post on X.
As part of the inaugural event, the chief minister toured key attractions, planted a sapling and interacted with locals, artists and dignitaries.
He later distributed keys to 86 newly-built houses in Orattukuppai village, constructed at a cost of Rs 5.67 crore with support from the GD Naidu Charitable Trust, designed for PwDs.
The vision for the Semmozhi Poonga dates back to 2010, when former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi announced during the World Classical Tamil Conference that Coimbatore would receive a grand botanical and cultural park honouring the classical Tamil language.
Chief Minister Stalin revived this vision in 2021, announcing the project’s two-phase development with extensive public amenities, walkways, themed gardens and cultural installations.
Stalin laid the foundation stone in December 2023, after which the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) began transforming the vast grounds into a modern eco-park.
The newly opened first phase features an array of themed gardens, including groves inspired by Sangam literature, a rich herbal and fragrance garden, a desert garden, a star garden, a bamboo cluster and a sprawling rose garden boasting over 2,000 varieties. Cultural elements such as sculptures of the Kadaiyezhu Vallalgal further enrich the park’s identity.