VIRUDHUNAGAR: Potti Thervu Payilvor Poonga, which was recently inaugurated in the premises of the Virudhunagar Collectorate, has become a haven for aspirants of competitive examinations, who spend hours here for its study-conducive environment.
Official sources said, the study park was the district administration's initiative and was developed at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. Equipped with circular benches covered by sheds and drinking water facilities, the park gives enough space for the aspirants to grind and take a break. "Since the park is located in the Collectorate premises, the aspirants can watch officers and seek inspiration," official sources said.
M Mayakannan, a 23-year-old engineering graduate from Sennalkudi, who has been preparing for the forest services for the last 1.5 years, said that he has been regularly visiting the park. "I can concentrate here more than at home," he said.
Like Mayakannan, several other aspirants who haven't enrolled in private coaching centres and resort to self-study, said the possibilities of getting distracted are highest at home. This is where, they said, the park comes in, since they are surrounded by like-minded people.
A group of girls from Kallikudi, Amathur, and Vellore have been coming to the park to prepare for TNPSC exams. "We come every day to study and since it has got sheds, we can sit here even during the rains," the girls said. They added that the proximity of the bus stop to the park and the availability of free buses has proved to be helpful.
Official sources said that another study park could come up in Rajapalayam following the success of this park.