Officials say the NHAI contractor has marked the space required for the pillars in the park.
| Photo Credit: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will take over a section of the Mayor Sundara Rao Park in Egmore for the construction of three pillars for the 21-km-long double decker Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Corridor. The project, which is coming up at a cost of ₹3,570 crore, is expected to be completed by November 2027.
A total of 28 trees and saplings are to be cut to make way for the pillars inside the park that belongs to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). “The park will be taken over by the NHAI during construction and will be handed back to the civic body. The park can be restored thereafter. It’s functioning will not be affected. As compensation for the trees that are to be removed from this park, the NHAI has planted a total of 26,000 saplings elsewhere,” an official source in the NHAI said.
A senior official in the GCC said that the contractor of NHAI had marked the space required for the pillars in the park. “They have submitted a request letter to us. Once the corridor is completed, the rest of the area can be saved for the park. The longitudinal walkway is likely to get affected due to the alignment,” the official said.
Residents and regular park users have objected to a large section of the green space being used for the project.
“Hundreds of people use the park every day. At mornings, there are residents who walk and do exercises. At afternoons, gig workers rest in the shade and have lunch, and students from nearby institutions study here. At evenings, children play here. All of us will lose our spot due to the project. We have written to officials seeking to change the alignment and save the park,” said A. K. S. Mohamed Yusuf, a resident of Egmore, who has been a regular of the park since 2006.
Residents said that care should be taken to safeguard the rainwater harvesting system inside the park.
Park users, including Mani, an autorickshaw driver, who likes to relax at afternoons in the park, said they were unaware of what work was going to be taken up.
“It would be good if the portion of park, that is not being used for construction, be kept open for public use. They could have shown how much land will be needed. Trees that are cut can never be replaced. This park too will become like the one at Shenoy Nagar or Poonamallee High Road that have lost trees due to Metro Rail work,” he said.
Published – June 10, 2026 05:00 am IST
