CHENNAI: The residents of Chitlapakkam rue that ever since the lockdown began, parks in their area are not being maintained. They say weeds have grown in most of the parks and equipment has been rusting away, depriving them of play and walking areas.
A visit to the area reveals garbage strewn near the entrances of parks and overgrown weeds that are at least 15-20 inch tall. Nearly seven parks in the area suffer the same plight. "We are unable to even enter the parks due to weed growth. I recently visited the SBI park and it was stinking as garbage was piling up in one corner. Children are unable to play here and such conditions also attract poisonous reptiles and insects," said R Sharadha, a resident.
Meanwhile, the park on Babu Street, which was demolished in 2016 to implement the Madambakkam water scheme, has not been renovated till date. "A lot of children and senior citizens used to frequent the park.Now, it is deserted and miscreants use it for anti-social activities at night," said Udhayavani Dayanand who filed a complaint on the issue to the CM cell in 2019.
When contacted, local officials said weeds are being cleared in the parks. Also, they mentioned that funds have been sanctioned to renovate the park at Babu Street.