SALEM: Once projected as a success story of the Smart City project, Anna Park, in the heart of Salem, lies half-abandoned —rides dismantled, fountains parched — with only a handful of visitors walking through what was meant to be the city's prime recreation space.
Spread across two acres along the busy Omalur Main Road, Anna Park was renovated under the Smart City Mission at a cost of Rs 7.52 crore. The redevelopment began in 2019 and was completed in 2021, transforming a small children's park into a full-fledged amusement space with eight rides including three large ones, an artificial waterfall, snow city, family pool and a musical fountain. Now, the park has only two children's rides — a toy train and a car ride that barely work.
"When the park reopened, it drew massive crowds. It used to be full even on weekday evenings. Families came in large numbers, and traffic snarls were common on Omalur Main Road," said S Senthil Kumar, assistant executive engineer, Hasthampatty zone.
The corporation charged Rs 20 as entry fee, while a private operator from Bengaluru managed the amusement rides and collected separate fees. But the park's decline began barely a year later. The operator withdrew from the contract, citing poor revenue and high maintenance costs. Once the tender expired, the company removed most of the adult rides, leaving empty spaces where the attractions once stood. Since then, no new operator has come forward to take up the tender, leaving the park without any private maintenance for over a year.
"Only the snow city is functional now, because if it's left unattended, the ice will be damaged and repairs would be very costly. So the old contractor from Bengaluru has been asked to take care of that alone," said Senthil Kumar. Even inside the snow city, visitors said the facility is poorly maintained, with several slides broken and left unrepaired.
A staff member working at the play area said the park has been idle for almost a year now, with little activity or maintenance. "Earlier, there were rides for both adults and children. Families used to come every evening, and the place would stay lively until closing time," she said. "After the private tender ended, all the big rides were taken away one by one. Now there's nothing left for people to enjoy - hardly anyone visits, and most days we just sit here with nothing to do."
"The park has remained non-functional for more than a year. When asked, the corporation officials gave non-satisfactory answers," said N Yadavamoorthy, AIADMK leader of opposition in the Salem Corporation Council. "We have repeatedly urged them to make the park more children-friendly and bring in new rides. But officials keep saying that since it was renovated with central funds under the Smart City project, it cannot be modified or rebuilt for at least five years," he added.
R Lakshmi, assistant commissioner of Hasthampatty zone told TNIE, the tender process to appoint a new private operator for the park is currently under way.
While corporation officials cite low footfall as the reason for the lack of bidders, without rides or functioning attractions, visitors are unlikely to return anytime soon.
