Tambaram Corporation to Inspect Chromepet MIT Flyover Site for Proposed Park
Residents of New Colony and other neighbourhoods on the western side of Chromepet have urged the Tambaram Corporation to develop parks and recreational spaces in their locality. The residents highlighted a stark imbalance in civic amenities, noting that while the eastern side of the suburb has received new parks, the western side has been largely overlooked.
Senior social activist V. Santhanam pointed out that the western neighbourhoods lack adequate open spaces for recreation despite the availability of vacant lands. He specifically identified a vacant stretch beneath the MIT flyover on GST Road, along the service road opposite the Vodafone office, as an ideal location for a new park.
A visit to the suggested site beneath the MIT flyover revealed that the area is currently overgrown with shrubs. It is also being used as an informal parking lot by nearby commercial establishments and as a dumping ground for scrap vehicles by local automobile workshops, which restricts free movement along the service road.
Santhanam stated that the Tambaram Corporation could clear these encroachments to develop a park equipped with walking paths and seating facilities. This would benefit senior citizens, youngsters, and commuters like Jayaseelen, a New Colony resident who noted that a park would provide a convenient waiting area for those boarding outstation buses on weekends.
In addition to the flyover site, residents have requested the civic body to identify and inspect lands earmarked under Open Space Reservation (OSR) provisions on CLC Works Road, where several private hospitals and commercial establishments operate. Santhanam noted that despite repeated representations, no inspection of these OSR lands had been conducted.
Responding to the demands, Tambaram Corporation Commissioner S. Balachandran stated that he would instruct officials to inspect the vacant land beneath the MIT flyover on the western side of Chromepet. He assured residents that the corporation would examine the feasibility of transforming the site into a public recreational space.
