Whee... Chennaiites can zip line over Villivakkam lake by 2021

CHENNAI: A zip-line over the Villivakkam lake will soon become the main attraction at the upcoming eco park around the lake. The work on zip-line is nearing completion and the park is likely to be opened to the public during 2021 Pongal, Chennai Corporation officials said. The Corporation is also building a zip-line facility in the eco park coming up at Anai Eri in Pallikaranai, officials added.

Zip-lining is a recreational and adventurous sport in which a person travels from top to bottom of an inclined cable holding on to a moving pulley. Though zip-lining can be found at private adventure sports centres on the outskirts of the city, the one coming at the Villivakkam eco park will be the first at a Corporation facility in Tamil Nadu at nominal charges, sources said. 

Zip-lining is an activity popular among tourists, especially at resorts in mountain areas. People also used it as a mode of transport in the earlier days, sources said. “The work on zip-lining project at the Villivakkam park is almost over and we are expecting it to be open in January next year,” said an official with the Works Department of the Chennai Corporation.

This is being executed in Public-Private-Partnership model and charges will be nominal, he added. Apart from this feature, the eco park will also have boating, amusement rides, bowling, drama show and restaurants. Officials said about 27.5 acres around the Villivakkam lake will be used for recreational activities and a suspension bridge is also coming up here.

“If it is just a plain park, people are not likely to visit it. These kinds of recreational activities will invite large crowds,” the official said. The Villivakkam lake, sprawling across 72,000 square metres, was restored by the civic body last year.

The lake, which once was full of encroachment and silt, has a neat walkers lane, an island in between the water now. The civic body has desilted the lake taking scientific inputs from various organizations.
Officials said the Pallikaranai Anai Eri will also be turned into an eco park with all recreational facilities by 2021 for residents of south Chennai. Presently, there is an eco park at Chetpet with such recreational facilities.

What is this ‘zip-lining’ that we are talking about? 
Zip-lining is a recreational and adventurous sport in which a person travels from top to bottom of an inclined cable holding on to a moving pulley. Though zip-lining can be found at private adventure sports centres on the outskirts of the city, the one coming at the Villivakkam eco park will be the first at a Corporation facility in TN at nominal fares