This popular park in Chennai stays shut

Its popularity with people in and around Nerkundram is the reason behind the decision

The first lockdown — imposed way back in March 2020 — has still not been lifted for Taisha Park at AIS Housing Complex, a gated community in Nerkundram. Between then and now, the park has remained as shut as an air-tight container. A Greater Chennai Corporation official offers two reasons for taking this rather extreme position. One, a raft of pending maintenance works. And two — which is suspected to be the main reason — the park usually draws many visitors, and that could prove quite a handful during a pandemic. Sprawling across 6,000-odd sq.m. of Open Space Reservation, the park is well-maintained and is found cheek by jowl with this gated community (AIS Housing Complex), which is home to many IAS and IPS officers. “In the pre-COVID days, the park used to witness many visitors, especially during the weekends, and in these COVID times we did not want to take a chance. We have even sought police’s help to manage the crowd in the park — the facility is that popular,” says Corporation engineer of Division 148, Zone 11.