CHENNAI: On April 4 this year, after the inauguration of the newly restored Thiru Vi Ka Park in Shenoy Nagar by the metro rail, a government press release said the park now has 5,400 ‘well grown trees’. A revised press release issued on the same day changed that number to 2,400. In reality, however, the number of trees and their growth seem to be grossly overestimated.
When TNIE surveyed the trees in the park, even by generous estimates, there were no more than 1,200 trees including ‘Miyawaki forests’ in the park that was built to increase the green cover. Many of the trees, except those in Miyawaki spaces, were in planter boxes, and were not nearly as large as to offer shade to runners and walkers who had to battle the heat as early as 8 am.
“This park used to be great for walking and running. Now, it is better to walk on the streets of Anna Nagar, most of which have large trees on either side, than to walk in this park. I tried to use the park once or twice after it was reopened but found it impossible due to the heat,” said R Abhinaya, a resident of Shenoy Nagar. While the park is being used for yoga and playing badminton and cricket early in the morning and evenings, it is of little help to runners and joggers.
Have filed a report in court on the issue, says CMRL
According to sources, while most of the parks in the city are open until at least 11 am, Thiru Vi Ka Park is closed every day at 9 am as it becomes difficult to use the park after that. The park, in its current form, has gardens, a musical fountain, decorative lights, skating rink, and volleyball and badminton courts. It was renovated by CMRL at a cost of Rs 18 crore.
“If the concrete underneath makes it difficult for them to plant trees and if they fear that the roots may damage metro structures, the CMRL can plant trees in corporation parks and other government land pockets in the vicinity. This will help maintain the overall green cover and also help the residents of the area,” said N Mathivanan, director, Centre for Advanced Study in Botany, University of Madras.
When contacted, a spokesperson for CMRL said that they had filed a report regarding the issue in court. The spokesperson, however, did not deny that the number of trees had been exaggerated in the press releases.
Less than 1,200 trees, most of them small
Even by a generous estimate, the park does not have more than 1,200 trees including ‘Miyawaki forests’. Most of the trees are in planter boxes, and are not big enough to offer shade to runners, joggers