COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) on Friday approved revised entry fees and filming charges for the newly inaugurated Semmozhi Park, even as several councillors expressed concern over the high lease amounts quoted by private contractors for facilities inside the park.
Among the key resolutions passed at the monthly council meeting were the revised tariff structures for park entry and for shooting films, videos and photographs. The Corporation has slashed several rates proposed earlier following objections and review.
The adult entry fee to the park has been brought down to Rs 15 and the children's entry fee to Rs 5. The earlier proposal had fixed the adult entry fee at Rs 25 and the children's fee at Rs 10.
The fee for videography has been brought down from Rs 150 to Rs 50, while charges for short film and feature film shoots have been significantly reduced to Rs 2,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively, from Rs 3,000 and Rs 50,000.
Photography and monthly walker passes remain unchanged at Rs 25 and Rs 100.
While councillors welcomed the move to make the park more accessible and affordable for the public, concerns quickly surfaced over the lease amounts quoted for various facilities.
The CCMC had originally fixed an annual lease of Rs 43.5 lakh for the parking lot, but the final bid was awarded to a private contractor who quoted a steep Rs 90 lakh. The food court, children's play area and commercial blocks also attracted high bids running into several lakhs per month, raising fears that contractors may pass the burden on to visitors through steep pricing.
Councillors cautioned that inflated food and parking rates could undermine the civic body's effort to make Semmozhi Park a family-friendly destination. Responding to these concerns, CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran told TNIE that a clerical error in the resolution had incorrectly stated the food court rent as Rs 23.35 lakh per month. "This has now been rectified. The actual monthly rent for the 6,000 sq ft food court is around Rs 6.5 lakh," he said.
He added that parking rates for two-wheelers and four-wheelers were still under consideration and would be finalised within a week.
The council meeting held at Victoria Hall and presided over by Mayor K Ranganayaki, also saw heated exchanges over pending development works in several wards.
Councillors Baby Sudha, Boopathy and a few others from the DMK raised complaints over long-pending works in their respective wards and alleged lack of response from officials. The mayor and commissioner intervened to calm the situation and assured them that all pending work details would be reviewed once councillors submitted a consolidated list.
