Triplicane Residents Raise Concerns Over Encroachment of Balasubramaniam Park

Residents of Triplicane are raising concerns over the ongoing encroachment and misuse of Balasubramaniam Park, located at the junction of Chellapillayar Koil Street and Hussain Mulk Road. The public green space has been blocked due to the storage of construction equipment and the permanent expansion of an adjacent roadside temple, leaving local families without access to the neighborhood park.

The park, which once served as a rare green oasis in a densely populated and congested area of Triplicane, is now in complete disarray. Its boundary walls have been broken down to facilitate the movement of construction equipment and materials inside the premises.

M. Priya, a resident of Chellapillayar Koil Street for two decades, has witnessed the gradual decline of the park. She reported that public access to the park is now entirely blocked. The children's play equipment and benches that were once available for visitors are no longer accessible.

According to residents, the roadside temple was originally a temporary structure but has recently been converted into a permanent building that encroaches directly onto the public park's land. The encroachment has also extended to the surrounding streets. Priya noted that the temple has temporarily blocked off access to Hussain Mulk Street by erecting a metal awning and temporary fire pit structures ahead of a scheduled temple function on July 2.

Local business owners have also noted the historical neglect of the space. A nearby shopkeeper stated that local authorities have often ignored the park. In the past, residents struggled to prevent people from using the park to keep cattle, and miscreants frequently gathered in the space at night. However, the shopkeeper emphasized that the gradual takeover of the limited public space by a private structure is a deeply worrying development for the neighborhood.

With the green space under threat, residents are calling on the Greater Chennai Corporation to intervene. They fear that without immediate action from the municipal corporation, the park and the surrounding street space will be permanently lost to these private encroachments.