CHENNAI: The Tiruvallur district administration inaugurated a road safety park built for Rs 3.1 crore in November 2025 to promote road safety awareness among children, and a science park to enhance STEM-based learning with a touch-and-feel experience. However, the local interactive play equipment at the science park is damaged, raising safety concerns for children.
Six months later, Tiruvallur residents expressed that the site was once neglected and overgrown with weeds. The newly inaugurated road safety and science park attracts a large crowd. However, the equipment, such as angular momentum, double-ended cone, wave motion demonstration, persistence of vision device and Newton's colour discs, is faulty.
The park features two interconnected ponds and play equipment, including swings, a merry-go-round, sliders, seesaws and rope swings. Illuminated with lights, the pavements are used by a large crowd.
M Prakash of Tiruvallur visited the parks with his children, alleging, "When rotating the double-edged cone, it often fell on children's feet, and the colours of Newton's colour discs faded. Regular maintenance of the equipment is mandatory for the longevity of the project."
Echoing similar concern was A. Saravanan of Kakkallur, who said, "The entire park looks good, but drinking water is lacking. Also, the broken play equipment reduces the interest in practical learning with the play equipment." He added that several adults were playing in the children's play equipment and breaking it." Most of the public welcomed the park facility, and creating similar recreational spaces in the fast-growing town area will be helpful for residents.
A Public Works Department official in Tiruvallur district headquarters said, "The agency Ankidyne, a manufacturer and installer of the science park, installed the equipment, and will inform the agency to repair the damaged play equipment."