Road around Natesan Park encroached, walking an ordeal

Chennai: The road around Natesan Park in T Nagar is encroached upon by stalls, vehicles, and eateries that make walking there a strenuous experience.
Kannadasan Road, which perimeters the park, is littered with the garbage residue of nearby tea stalls, mechanic sheds, and debris from both trees and construction sites. This makes it hard for visitors to enter through the side lanes.Several vehicles have also been parked under the no parking sign. A walkway around the park is inaccessible due to such encroachments.
S Radhika, who comes to the park every day to exercise, said the park is nice to walk in, but the roads around it are in poor condition. “The shopkeepers don’t take care to clean the area after their businesses close. People visiting these shops also drop waste anywhere they please,” she said.
The walkway is littered with hundreds of cigarette butts as well as waste materials, tea stalls and eateries. An unpleasant odour permeates the place due to people urinating on the walls adjoining the park.
Sundaram S, another person who lives in the area, said the park is open for everyone’s use but added that people should be mindful while using these places.
When contacted, Greater Chennai Corporation assistant engineer (ward 133) Anand said the area is cleaned regularly, with the most recent exercise done two weeks ago. “Vagrants have been reported to police and action will be taken to relocate them soon.”