Six months on, Nadukuthagai residents wait for Amma Park

Amma Parks are being taken up at village panchayats that have an annual income of Rs 20 lakhs and receive Rs 20 lakhs and above under the 14th Finance Commission. Proposed in village panchayats near suburban and semi urban areas, these parks have facilities including footpath, lighting arrangements with LED bulbs, steel benches, toilets, drinking water, and play area and equipment for children.

Residents said that the facility could have served more than 500 families living in the area. However, according to P Periasamy, a resident of the locality for the 20 years, the contractor said work has been diverted to another area. “There is one park nearby, but that is in a Poramboke land. The park that is set to come up is on a CMDA approved land,” he said.

Another resident added that the area has always been a picture of neglect. “We had to fight hard to get basic amenities like water here. There is a famous engineering college nearby and the roads near it see heavy traffic. But the road around is in a bad shape with potholes like craters. The dust and pollution is unbearable,” he said. An official from the Poonamallee Block Development Office said the work would be completed in a few months. “We have already completed the facilities at Kannapalayam and Thiruneerkuppam. Nadukuthagai will be completed soon, as it is under the same contractor who has undertaken four parks in and around the area. In all, 10 Such parks are set to come up around the district,” the official added.