Used condoms found in Tambaram park, locals urge for safety and upkeep

Tambaram municipality in Kancheepuram district has 39 wards separated as East and West Tambaram. Nearly 2 lakh people live in these wards. Public here claim that due to rapid urbanisation, there are no open spaces for children to play expect for public parks. With these parks in shambles, parents are unable to take their children outdoor to play.

Locals claim that the parkin Anandapuram, East Tambaram is the worst maintained. “Thispark was regularly used by residents of Subarayan Nagar, Park Street, Professor Colony and many more. Now, after the lights got damaged, anti-socials use the park for illegal activities and damage the equipment making them unusable,” said a local resident.

Ram Kumar, a resident of East Tambaram said, “We are afraid to send our children there since we can even spot used condoms there. The municipality should look into the issue soon.”

A similar plight haunts the Mullai Nagar Park in West Tambaram too. This park too has been ill-maintained and all the equipment are malfunctioning. Locals claim that even the trees are not watered regularly and are drying up.

When contacted K Ravichandran, municipal engineer of Tambaram admitted that they do not have enough manpower to deploy watchmen in every park. “Now we are seeking help from NGOs for maintenance of parks. We are also taking efforts to replace the existing bulbs with LED bulbs. Soon all the parks will become usable for the public,” he said.