Rundown Royapettah park a cattle shed and dump yard now

CHENNAI: A park on Chellapillayar Koil Street in Royapettah, which has been in a shambles for years, has now been encroached by cattle.
The corporation had recently cleaned it up, but Balasubramani Park remains locked up and has been vandalised. A few residents tie their cattle there and adding to this mess is garbage strewn all around, inconveniencing residents and motorists.
About three years ago, the park underwent a renovation. The interiors were cleaned, saplings planted and concrete benches installed. Its walls were covered with orange and green tiles and stainless steel railings were installed.
But after it was locked up, miscreants have taken to drinking here, said a police officer.
“The park is all the more important in crowded areas like Royapettah where pavements are also encroached by shops. There is hardly any space,” said Manju V, a resident.
However, corporation officials don’t seem to care much as there is no residents association to push for the park’s maintenance. “One security guard is all it needs and some daily cleaning,” Manju added.
“The authorities clean up the place once in a while. But there is no sustained effort to restore it,” said Mohammed Rafi, who runs a shop in the neighbourhood.
The absence of a park or play space is impacting residents too. A family from Maharashtra, who moved here, had asked neighbours if there was some space available to take their toddler out in the evening. “I am disappointed to find that there is no space to go for a walk,” a family member said.
With the grills of the locked gate are broken, youngsters have taken to squeezing through them to play cricket in the park.
A senior corporation official who is in-charge of the zone did not immediately know why the park is in such a state, but promised to look into it.