3-acre Anna Park, a new attraction on Marina

Next to the Anna Square Bus Terminus, the Greater Chennai Corporation’s newest park, Anna Memorial Park, saw a few families, curiously inspecting the swanky new facility. After a scorching day, the sea breeze adds some respite in the evening, as the promenade on Marina Beach is already dotted with hundreds of people, who are out to enjoy the cool breeze.

G Vetrivel, a Class 10 student from Attur, Salem, inspects the façade which has a 3D mural of a sedan, jutting out of the wall at the entrance. In the city for the holidays, Vetrivel had come to the park, attracted by the colourful slide and swings. “My mother works at the Chennai Port. Since I am here on vacation, I like coming to Marina daily. Today, I saw the park and came by, because I wanted to play on the swing,” he smiled. 

Adjacent to the swings, Kamalakannan, an entrepreneur from Mylapore, is watching as his children, Harini (4) and Sripriya (8) take turns to ride on the smiling brown duck. “Parks are where we head to most evenings. Since I was at the swimming pool, my children saw the swings and wanted to play here. However, what I noticed that the play equipment looked old. We were surprised to see this, especially since it is a new park,” he said. 

Barring the play equipment, the spacious park has ample greenery and other features as well. The colourful murals and 3D installations are attractive, especially for children. A Corporation official said that the park was constructed at a cost of Rs 2.62 crore. “We have provided various facilities such as walking tracks for senior citizens, seating space, green areas and a children’s area, which is spacious and can be used by visitors,” concluded the official.