West Chromepet needs more lung spaces

Residents of New Colony and other neighbourhoods on the western side of Chromepet have urged the Tambaram Corporation to develop parks and recreational spaces. They say the area has been overlooked while similar facilities have come up on the eastern side of the suburb.

Senior citizens, children and youth say the western neighbourhoods lack adequate open spaces for recreation despite the availability of vacant land and Open Space Reservation (OSR) sites.

The Tambaram Corporation recently developed a park with children’s play equipment beneath the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road bridge, popularly known as the Ponds Bridge. Another park, with facilities including a gym and children’s play area, was opened beneath the MIT flyover near Chitlapakkam Main Road-R.P. Road junction in February this year. Both have been well received by residents.

Demand for a similar facility

The vacant space beneath the MIT flyover on the western side of Chromepet, where residents have urged the Tambaram Corporation to develop a neighbourhood park.
| Photo Credit:
T. Arvind

Senior social activist V. Santhanam said residents of western Chromepet welcomed the civic improvements on the eastern side but felt that recreational amenities had not been distributed equitably.

He pointed to a vacant stretch beneath the MIT flyover in GST Road, along the service road opposite the Vodafone office, as a suitable location for developing a park similar to the one beneath the Ponds Bridge.

A visit to the site found the area overgrown with shrubs and partly occupied by parked vehicles from nearby commercial establishments. According to local residents, several motorists leave their vehicles there for days, while a few automobile workshops use portions of the service road to dump scrap vehicles, affecting free movement and turning the vacant land into an informal garage.

“The Corporation can clear the encroachments and develop the space into a park with walking paths and seating facilities. It would provide much-needed relief to senior citizens and youngsters looking for a place to read or spend their leisure time,” Santhanam said.

“I often have to wait a long time for outstation buses on weekends. A park nearby would be an ideal place to spend the time,” said Jayaseelen, a youth from New Colony who frequently travels to his native place on weekends.

OSR land identified

Residents have also urged the Corporation to identify land earmarked under the Open Space Reservation (OSR) provisions in CLC Works Road, where several private hospitals and commercial establishments function.

“Despite repeated representations, no inspection has been carried out to identify OSR land for developing parks,” Santhanam said.

Tambaram Corporation Commissioner S. Balachandran said he would instruct officials to inspect the vacant land beneath the MIT flyover on the western side of Chromepet. He also assured residents that steps would be taken to examine the feasibility of developing the site into a public recreational space.