A GCC official says inspections will be conducted at these parks.
| Photo Credit: RAGU R

As her son rushes towards the children’s play area at May Day park in Chintadripet, one of the city’s landmarks, Anitha T. calls out, “Don’t climb on the slide.” Walking around the play zone, children were treating the merry-go-round as an adventure ride. “They don’t know it is hanging by a thread,” she says.

She points to the neglected condition of other play equipment, from a broken seesaw to a slide that has seen better days. “A child scraped his knee on the slide just last week because it is damaged,” she adds.

With schools closed for summer, parents say it is quite a task to keep children entertained indoors. “My daughters want to play in the park, but I have to take them all the way to Anna Nagar Tower Park,” says Sowmya R., a Chintadripet resident, for whom the May Day park is just a stone’s throw from her residence. “In areas like Anna Nagar, the parks have brand-new play equipment but the few swings we haveare taken over by adults. The rest of the play equipment at May Day park are outdated structures. An upgrade with more equipment would make a difference,” she said.

But this is not a one-off story. For Mylaporeans, Nageswara Rao Park has always been held in high regard. But, it has seen its shine wear off over the years, with the recent stormwater drain work inside the premises adding to the disruption. But, in early 2025, hopes were lifted with the announcement of a development plan proposing a slew of amenities.

Gymnasiums have since been built and opened at the park, but the children’s play area wears an empty look with not a child in sight — there are broken, rusted seesaws, and lonely swing frames idle without swings.

A couple of joggers at the park, who did not want to be named, said contractors had shown them the proposed upgrades but the timeline had not been disclosed. They added that if the work on the play area begins first, children might still get a chance to make the most of it before the summer break slips away.

Meanwhile, at the park on Soma Ramaswamy street, Agaram, the slides have been unsteady while children are using them. “We have noticed that the bolts have been missing for quite some time. It is shaking heavily but children may not realise this, and we are worried they might get injured while playing,” said Jaisankar, who was at the park with his child.

GCC Zone 5 Chairman P. Sriramulu acknowledged that the children’s play area at May Day park needs attention. “We have an ongoing contract [to maintain the park], but the contractors have stopped showing up. We will look into the issue and address it soon,” he said.

A senior Corporation official from the department of parks and playfields said inspections would be conducted at these parks and equipment made ready for children during the summer.