Residents protest redevelopment of Nageswara Rao park

Officials of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) visited Nageswara Rao Park on Monday and heard the worries of residents who had staged a silent protest against the park’s redevelopment a day earlier.

Members of the Alliance of Residents Welfare Associations (AoRWA), along with residents from Mylapore and neighbouring areas, held the silent gathering at the park on August 16, opposing the GCC’s ₹12-crore redevelopment project and the construction of stormwater drains inside the park.

Around 120 residents participated in the 90-minute protest and carried placards calling to ‘Give Back Our Park’ and ‘Protect Urban Lung Spaces’. They alleged that nearly 40 trees had been cut and patches of greenery cleared to produce way for concrete structures.

T.D. Babu, environmentalist and secretary of AoRWA, said stormwater drain works had begun inside the park around six months ago and alleged that there had been no evidence of compensatory sapling plantation. Residents also triggered concern over the removal of native bushes and the extent of paving and concrete structures being introduced as part of the redevelopment.

On Monday, office-holders acknowledged the concerns raised by residents and remarked they were willing to improve the park’s green cover. They said removing and restoring areas that had already been concretised would be challenging, but improvements to green cover could be taken up in the remaining areas.