In Madurai district, South Zone, Ward No. 71, Zone 3, on Chairman Muthuramaiyar Road, the work for Madurai Corporation’s Joseph Park was started during the year 2016–2017 through the AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme for rejuvenation and urban transformation, and it was opened for public use.
This scheme is an urban development program launched by the Government of India in 2015. The scheme aims to improve basic infrastructure such as safe drinking water facilities, proper sewage management, stormwater drainage systems, and parks for people living in cities.
In the areas of Chinna Kanmoi, Keelamadurai, Kamarajapuram, Balarengapuram, and Indira Nagar, which fall under the southern constituency of Madurai district, nearly more than five thousand families are living. As a source of drinking water for them, the municipality’s two overhead drinking water tanks are located in this park.
After this park was opened, many people from the area—children, school students, parents, and the elderly—had been using the park in the mornings and evenings for sports, exercise, and walking.
Due to the lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, public access was restricted, and the park was left neglected without maintenance. All the play equipment, including the swings, slide, and iron bars, had been broken by unknown persons. The park turned into a gathering place for alcohol drinkers. Seeing broken liquor bottles lying around, the public began to avoid coming to the park altogether.
When asked about this, a young man who was practicing silambam there said, “My house is only five streets away from this park. When I was in tenth grade, this park was our playground. After school, we would stay here until 7 in the evening. Whenever there was a holiday, we would come here. After that, the coronavirus lockdown came.
We used to come to this side of the area now and then. It has been like this for the past five years. None of the kids who used to play here then are around now. All the lights that were here have been broken. We can no longer see the swing or the slide we used to play on. Half-broken, it now lies unrecognizable. Many parents, children, and elderly people used to come here. But now, hardly anyone comes here.
"I and more than 60 students from our silambam training workshop have been practicing in this park for the past two months. It would be very good if this park were renovated and made into a safe place for students to play," he said.
Surrounding this park are wedding halls, a temple, residential areas, and, behind the park, places used by the public in their daily lives such as a school and a hospital.
Therefore, local residents and school students are requesting that the concerned municipal authorities take appropriate action to renovate this park and make it available for public use with proper maintenance and a safe environment.