TIRUCHY: The city’s heritage park, or ‘Purathana Poonga,’ with its fort-like structure adorned with statues of Chola kings and Queen Mangammal as well as beautiful sculptures is a magnificent space but it is yet to get sufficient footfall despite attractions offering a peek into the past.
Nearby residents want the city corporation to take measures to popularise the park opened last year behind the iconic Rockfort. “Traders heading to Gandhi Market through this route often enquire about it. Many ask if it was built during the Chola period.
Locals or tourists don’t visit it, probably because it is located on an interior busy road near the market,” said T Renganathan, a resident. The municipal corporation spent about Rs 4 crore to construct the park on 1.27 acre at Butterworth Road under the Smart Cities Mission. Its construction started in 2019 and was opened last year. It may get a footfall of 20 to 30 people a day. “The park is close to a commercial area with a meagre population.
The number of visitors may increase if the corporation conducts publicity measures through social media and with the help of the tourism department. Similarly, the authorities should also conduct events at the open-air theatre in the park,” said Vijayalakshmi Kannan, an elderly resident.
A senior official said, “That land was a horse stable during Queen Mangammal’s period. That’s why there is a statue of Mangammal on a horse inside the park. We will take measures to popularise the park.”