Ill-maintained parks an eyesore in Dindigul

Dindigul's neighbourhood park in Vivekananda Nagar is in shambles, with waterlogging, broken pathways, defunct play equipment and unruly plants. Despite the Amrut Scheme allocating ₹48 lakh for its renovation, the contractor left the work unfinished. The Corporation and administration have failed to maintain the park, leaving it to anti-social elements. Residents suggest NSS units of schools and colleges to maintain the park, but officials remain lethargic.

The neighbourhood park in Vivekananda Nagar, an affluent part of Dindigul town, lies in a shambles.

The green lung in the midst of a residential area was built to cater to the recreational needs of local residents. Unfortunately, for teenagers like S. Anish, the park is off limits. “My mother refuses to let me go there and play as it is waterlogged and has turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” he says. 

“The walking track in the park is broken and the play equipment is also non-functional,” he adds. 

There are more than 10 neighbourhood parks in the city apart from Kumaran Park located on Taluk Office Road. Most of them are ill-maintained with unruly growth of plants that cover most of the equipment and the pathways. 

P. Ravichandran, a resident, says: “At frequent intervals, the administration goes on a park renovation spree focusing only on Kumaran Park. But after a few months, maintenance takes a back seat.”

Though maintenance of the park has been given to a private contractor, there is no monitoring by the administration. “Street lights have gone defunct, plants are not trimmed properly and the advertisement boards have come up on pathways turning many areas into blind spots”, says Rajesh Kannan, a social activist. “These stretches become the haunt of anti-social elements and can turn dangerous for women who come to walk here, “ he adds. 

“Sustained maintenance is lacking and this is evident not just in Kumaran Park but also at the bio-diversity park that was started in Sirumalai with much fanfare,” points out Mr. Ravichandran.