The wait is finally over for the residents of R.K. Nagar as the Open Space Reservation (OSR) land on R.K. Nagar Second Main Road in Mandaveli has become a beautiful park now.
The R.K. Nagar Poonga was inaugurated by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami via video-conference from the Secretariat on Wednesday.
Late in the evening, Mylapore MLA R. Nataraj, along with the residents of R.K. Nagar, visited the park. “Work to convert the OSR land into a park started in July last year after the land was handed over by L&T Ragamalika Apartments to the Greater Chennai Corporation. The park was built at a cost of ₹73.58 lakh and finished in record time,” said the MLA.
Spread across 17,350 sq.ft of land, the park has a play area for children, a badminton court, walkers track and an open gym. The park is well-lit and has enough space to host small gatherings, Nataraj added.
Residents of R.K. Nagar are elated about the new green space. K.L. Bala of R.K. Nagar Residents Association said that park was a long-awaited facility. Senior citizens would benefit the most from the park as they no longer had to walk the long distance to other parks for their morning and evening strolls, he said.
The residents also wanted the Corporation to maintain the parks in coordination with the resident welfare associations.
“Most parks in the city are neglected after the initial excitement wears off and they either become unofficial dumping grounds or a hub for anti-social activities. The residents are planning to work out a plan with the Corporation where the park’s maintenance can be partly handled by the resident welfare associations. We are also contemplating to rope in private firms to maintain the park as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives,” Bala said.