AIADMK fumes over allocation of 6.7crore for Coimbatore’s Semmozhi Park maintenance

Coimbatore: The city corporation's decision to allocate Rs6.70 crore for the maintenance of the newly-inaugurated Semmozhi Park on Dr Nanjappa Road has drawn flak from AIADMK councillors who staged a walk out at the emergency council meeting that was held at Victoria Hall at Town Hall here on Friday in protest against the passage of a resolution in this regard.Pointing out that the allocation meant a spend of more than Rs55 lakh for the upkeep of the park per month, AIADMK councillors said it indicated a potential scam.
Addressing the media, AIADMK councillor R Prabhakaran said the corporation had adopted resolution no. 58 to sanction Rs6.70 crore for the maintenance of Semmozhi Park. He argued that a spend of Rs55.84 lakh on a single facility every month was not tenable and questioned the rationale for such a large recurring expense. Pointing out that the civic body was paying around Rs170 crore to a private firm annually for garbage collection across the city and disposal at Vellalore dump yard, Prabhakaran said the same firm was awarded the contract to maintain Semmozhi Park. "This raises concerns about transparency and contracting practices. AIADMK will bring out the truth to the people if it is elected to form govt." He said the money being spent was public tax revenue and claimed that the civic body could instead procure advanced equipment and manage the park's upkeep more efficiently without such high monthly outgo. Semmozhi Park was inaugurated by chief minister M K Stalin on Dec 11, 2025. Since the inauguration, the park has been drawing large crowds, prompting the corporation to deploy private security guards and other personnel to manage its operations and ensure cleanliness. To keep the Semmozhi Park premises clean to prevent infections, the corporation had been mulling to appoint sanitary workers, along with security staff and technical personnel such as plumbers and electricians, to handle day-to-day maintenance. And a resolution in this regard was successfully tabled and passed at the emergency council meeting on Friday. As per the resolution, 153 sanitary workers, three plumbers, five electricians, 11 supervisors and 56 security guards would be appointed for the maintenance of Semmozhi Park. It said Rs6.11 crore was required annually to meet the salaries of these workers. The remaining portion of the (Rs6.70 crore) allocation would be used for items such as PPE kits, cleaning materials, restroom accessories and garden-related accessories. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Women's day wishes, messages and quotes !