CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday announced that a public horticultural garden, green spaces and other public utilities would come up in the 118 acres of land taken back from the Madras Race Club (MRC) in Guindy, Chennai. The land parcel is worth a whopping Rs 4,832 crore.
The announcement comes soon after the state government informed the Madras High Court that it had taken possession of the 160.86 acres of land earlier this week.
The land was leased to the MRC for 99 years from April 1, 1945. Recently, the government cancelled the lease on the grounds that the land is required for public use. Of the total extent of the land parcel, 118 acres have now been transferred to the horticulture department.
“Considering the ever-increasing population of Chennai, establishing an eco-park in the heart of the city is essential. The park that comes up here will help people maintain their physical and mental health, as well as (maintain) the environment,” an official release said.
The release recalled that after Chief Minister M K Stalin assumed office in 2021, the horticulture department developed the Kalaignar Centenary Park on Cathedral Road in Chennai, and a park in Ooty in Nilgiris district, by reclaiming government land previously in possession of private organisations, in a move to protect the environment.
‘Chennai's green cover 6.7% of total area’
The eco-park planned in Guindy will also benefit the public and the environment, the official release added. The state government, in its release, stated that as per the 2011 census, Chennai city has a population of 86.9 lakh and the per capita green cover in Chennai is 1.03 sq m per inhabitant.
The green cover of the city, including forests, parks, playgrounds and open spaces, makes up only 6.7% of the total area.“This is much lower compared to other states.
Therefore, based on the need to increase Chennai’s green cover and in view of the city’s urbanisation, increasing population and its density, it has become essential to create such parks and green spaces,” the release added.