Rectify damage to pavement in park, urge residents of Ambattur

CHENNAI: Residents of Ambattur have urged the civic body to replace the damaged pavement tiles at the Thamarai Kulam park. The broken tiles have always posed a threat to people who visit the park. The situation becomes worse during rains and monsoon days when the pavement becomes muddy and slippery. As many senior citizens and children come to the park regularly, the damage needs to be rectified immediately.

“The park has been constructed with a weak basement and within a few months the tiles started breaking and coming off. The majority of the residents use the park for walking, and due to the uneven pavement, they are unable to walk on it. The construction was carried out at a slow pace and still did not sustain for a long time. However, there was no damage spotted in the other parks constructed when this park was opened,” fumed K Chandran, a resident of Ambattur.

Visitors complain that the condition worsens during the monsoon season when the tiles get cracked easily.Though multiple complaints were raised by the ward councillor and zonal officials, there has been no inspection or steps taken to resolve the issue.

“The water logging reduces the soil strength, and it becomes muddy and slippery and people are seen tripping, falling, and hurting themselves quite often. Also, the number of people visiting the park has reduced drastically after the civic body has shown the least interest to maintain the infrastructure,” said Harikrishna, who comes to the park regularly.

He added that park is meant for a serene view and to relax but we could not utilise it properly. With the northeast monsoon two months away, people have urged the authorities to address the issue immediately.

When contacted M Banupriya, Ward 79 councillor stated that the repair works in the park are expected to begin after approval from the zonal officials and regional deputy commissioner.