A Rs 4.20-crore makeover at Chennai’s Murasoli Maran Park in Perambur is facing serious maintenance and safety concerns just months after the facility reopened, with damaged toilets, exposed electrical wires, a cracked skating rink and broken play equipment reported by visitors.
Located on Paper Mills Road, the park was renovated by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and opened to the public by then Chief Minister MK Stalin in March. The upgraded facility includes landscaped gardens, musical fountains, walking tracks, seating areas, a yoga centre, two badminton courts, children’s play areas, toilets and CCTV surveillance.
Visitors said several of these facilities have deteriorated within six months of the makeover. The park’s walkways also become waterlogged during rain, making movement difficult for walkers and pedestrians. Residents have asked the authorities to repair the damaged installations and improve drainage so that rainwater does not stagnate inside the park.
Social activist Raghukumar Choodamani alleged that the renovation appeared to have been rushed ahead of the Assembly elections. He said the walking tracks, electrical wiring, musical fountain, skating rink and toilets had developed problems within a few months of the park’s opening.
“It is unfortunate that a park developed at a cost of Rs 4.20 crore is not being properly maintained,” Choodamani said, according to DT Next.
Srinivasan Raghavan, a resident of the neighbourhood, said damaged play equipment was creating a risk for children. He pointed to a broken two-seater circular swing and deteriorated rubber safety flooring, as well as cracks in the skating rink. He also said inadequate drainage was causing rainwater to accumulate on the walkways.
The condition of the children’s facilities has raised questions about inspection and maintenance arrangements after the completion of a public-park redevelopment project. The reported problems include both structural elements, such as the skating rink and walking tracks, and operational facilities, including toilets and electrical installations.
A senior Chennai Corporation official said civic body officials had repeatedly raised the maintenance issues with the CMDA through emails, phone calls and messages, but no appropriate action had been taken so far. The official said steps were being taken to hand over the toilets to a private agency for maintenance.
According to the official, the toilets were closed because some people allegedly engaged in illegal activities at night and damaged the facilities. Visitors have been directed to use a nearby public toilet until the issue is addressed.
The CMDA, however, said the park had already been handed over to the Corporation and that routine maintenance was the civic body’s responsibility. The differing positions place the park’s upkeep at the centre of a responsibility dispute between the agency that carried out the renovation and the civic body expected to maintain the facility.
The immediate concerns for visitors are the repair of damaged play equipment, restoration of the skating rink, securing exposed electrical wiring, reopening or replacing the park toilets and preventing waterlogging on the walkways. The Corporation has said it is pursuing a private maintenance arrangement for the toilets, while responsibility for the park’s broader upkeep remains contested between the two agencies.
