CHENNAI: A land parcel of over five acres owned by the city corporation near Thiru Vi Ka park at Anna Nagar in the city could turn into a hub for traditional Tamil sports, replete with recreational spaces, as the civic body is studying the proposal. Senior corporation officials are expected to inspect the site for the same later this week.
Save for a portion of the land – earmarked as Open Space Reservation (OSR) in the Shenoy Nagar layout that was created in the 1950s – being used to construct a shed for battery operated vehicles, the remaining area over which the project is proposed is vacant, corporation officials said. OSR is open spaces reserved for community usage.
Ward 102 councillor Rani Ravichandran, who first pitched the project, said, “Five acres of space in Anna Nagar is not a small thing. I didn’t want it lying waste because it could draw encroachments. I met senior corporation officials, including Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi, regarding the proposal and they were only keen to take it forward.”
The space is proposed to have a playground and an open hub for traditional Tamil sports, besides recreational spaces. An estimate is yet to be prepared for the project. While the authorities concerned pointed to the Thiru Vi Ka park nearby as reason for not immediately considering the use of the land parcel as public space, the park closed around a decade ago to facilitate metro rail station work. Several trees in the park over eight acres were also felled.
A corporation official said that work is now on by CMRL to restore Thiru Vi Ka Park to its lost glory and added that it will be thrown open to the public in a few weeks. Meanwhile, pointing to the park, Rani said the space for the proposed project can be segmented for different sports activities, including traditional sports. “Since it’s in Anna Nagar, it is easily accessible even for those who want to come from other parts of the city,” she said.