Greater Chennai Corporation has penalised park contractors, collecting a total fine amount of ₹4.96 lakh in the past 10 weeks and has requested residents to report poor maintenance of any of the 704 parks in their neighborhood to civic officials.
According to a press release, the residents have been requested to call coorporation helpline 1913 to complain about poor maintenance of parks. Residents are also requested to complain about poor maintenance of parks to the zonal officers or regional officers.
Of the 704 parks maintained by Greater Chennai Corporation in the 15 zones of the city, the maintenance of 540 parks have been done by private contractors.
Contractors have been asked to focus on maintenance of lawn, flowering plants, trees. A book to record complaints from visitors should be placed at the entrance of the parks. A board should be installed to display time the park will remain open. The details about the number of persons at work in the park for maintenance should also be displayed at the entrance.
The contractors would be paid based on the score on key aspects of park maintenance, including mowing of lawn, pruning of trees, cleaning of walkway, cleaning of toilets, keeping play area for children clean and safe, harvesting rainwater, taking care of fountain, benches and lights.
Once the residents complain about poor maintenance of parks with a photo or video of the damaged infrastructure, the corporation would penalise the contractor, reducing the amount paid to the contractor. Any delay in restoration of dry patches of grass in the park may also be reported to the Chennai Corporation.