After a five-month-long gap, most of the recreational parks in the city have been reopened to public.
Visitors are allowed in the morning and evening. Though residents are apprehensive about coming out in the open in view of COVID-19, a section of them visits the parks as usual. The visitors are from all walks of life and age groups.
They allege that the parks have been reopened without carrying out maintenance work. Caretakers and gardeners usually prune the plants at least once a week and remove weeds.
Now, the unchecked gowth of plants, trees and grass is a tell-tale sign that the parks have not been maintained properly since their closure in the last week of March.
Parks near Kauvery Hospital in Cantonment and Anna Nagar are among those that need to be cleaned up. Slides, swings and other equipment too look unclean.
“We are fortunate to have a well-established park in our locality. We regularly visit it in the evenings. But it has lost lustre due to poor maintenance. Grass has grown to a height of two to three feet,” says M. Sumaya of Bheema Nagar, after a a visit to Science Park at Anna Nagar.
Asha, another resident of Bheema Nagar, says the recent wet spell has led to spurt in growth of vegetation and a special drive to clean the parks and clear the weeds is necessary.