Deputy CM to inaugurate new eco park in Tiruvannamalai

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday (December 4) will inaugurate the new M.K. Stalin eco-park within the restored irrigation tank at Melathikkan village on Thirukovilur Main Road.

Officials of the State Highways, who executed the new facility, said that the park has been set up on a five hectare plot within Melathikkan tank, which is maintained by District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).

The new park will provide much needed leisure space for children and senior citizens with amenities aimed at those sections of the society. “Residents and devotees can easily access the new park as the new facility is located on a key stretch near the temple town. The timing of the park opening will be decided in the coming days,” S. Anbarasu, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), State Highways, told The Hindu.

Accompanied by Collector K. Tharpagaraj, Minister for Public Works and Highways E.V. Velu inspected the new facility ahead of its opening.

The new ecopark has a children’s play area, retail spaces for selling snacks and beverages for visitors and dedicated parking.

The new facility has a long tiled walking track, which is around two km at the lake with seating arrangements at every 200 metres of the track with washrooms and water facilities. Four Over Head Tanks (OHTs) were built with a 240 KV transformer.

Highways officials said that a meditation centre, audio system, separate gym for men and women were also provided. As part of safety features, CCTV cameras were installed with a centralised monitoring system in the park. The entire facility has fencing and a compound wall to prevent intruders after closing hours.

Saplings of native fruit bearing and shade tree species like guava, naval tree, izhupai tree, mango and gooseberry will be planted. Culverts were built to discharge excess rainwater into the lake without affecting the park.

Once opened, the new park will be handled by the Department of Tourism to provide boating facilities to draw tourists, especially long distance travellers. The tank, which is spread over 82 acres with a total capacity of 38 mcft of water, was rejuvenated under the Rehabilitation and Restoration of Lakes scheme by DRDA recently.