Srinivasa Naidu Park located adjacent to the magnificent Srirangam temple tower is supposed to add beauty not only to the tower but to the whole of the temple town. But the park is losing sheen due to poor maintenance raising concerns among children, women, and the elderly.
The park, one of the oldest in Tiruchirappalli City Corporation, was established even before the Srirangam municipality was merged with the erstwhile Tiruchirapalli municipality. It has been serving the children, retired persons, and of course tourists, who visit the Sri Ranganathasamy Temple in Srirangam.
The present condition of the park, however, suggests that the Corporation doesn’t have a proper plan in place to clean the park periodically, replace the dilapidated fountain, benches, and children’s play equipment.
In fact, one will be surprised by the patchy look of the park located next to the zonal office of the Corporation.
The major portion of the park has turned barren with signs of wear and tear. The fountain which is supposed to pump water into the air to enthral visitors has become defunct due to continuous neglect for years. The children play area, which has quite a few equipment, including slides and swings, has become a waste dumping point.
The toilet has been closed and there are not enough benches for the visitors to relax. The boundary wall is conked out at many places.
A major portion of the park is found to be covered with dry leaves and wastes and cleanliness has been found wanting all across the park.
“No maintenance work has been taken up in the park for several years. A park should be able to rejuvenate the mind and soul of the visitors. But this one doesn’t even have the facility for children to play in the evenings and senior citizens to relax,” says S.Viswanathan, a retired physical director.
Recollecting the existence of the park for several years, he said there is a need to completely revamp the park to serve the people of Srirangam.
It should be remodelled to suit the present-day requirements. Since it is located in one of the most prominent pilgrimage centres in the State, the Corporation should draw a special plan to accommodate tourists too, he said.
