Five parks in Chennai to get inclusive play equipment for Rs 15 L

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has proposed to spend Rs 15 lakh for the installation of inclusive play equipment for children with special needs in five parks in the city as a first phase.

The local body, which is responsible for the maintenance of all the public parks and playfields in the city, is now looking for a private consultant for the installation in Bougainvillea Park at Anna Nagar East, Natesan Park at T Nagar, Murasoli Maran Park at Perambur, Vasugi Park at Tondiarpet and Anna Nagar Tower Park.

GCC has mooted a plan to install inclusive play equipment in 10 parks, after Mayor R Priya announced the improvement of parks through the installation of inclusive play equipment. As a part of the first phase, the GCC has now floated a tender for 5 parks.

“The successful bidder will install equipment such as see-saw, swing, merry-go-round and others that cater to kids with special needs,” said a GCC official (Parks & Playfields). “It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure universal accessibility of the parks, including laying ramps for wheelchair users to approach the parks. After we find the contractor, the work will begin, and be completed within 3 months.”

This initiative aims to install safe, durable, and sensory-friendly play equipment catering to diverse abilities and also promote social interaction and inclusive play among children of all abilities. “The hope is to create model parks that serve as benchmarks for inclusive urban infrastructure,” he added.

Conducting a detailed assessment of all the listed parks, identifying suitable areas for the installation of inclusive play equipment, evaluating site conditions such as accessibility, safety, space, and utilities, will be the key works of the consultant, said sources. The private player also has to comply with national and international accessibility standards (such as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and universal design principles), while making the design and installing the play equipment, GCC said.

MMDA Park, KK Nagar Garden Park, Tiruvalluvar Nagar, Jeyachandran Nagar and Sri Sai Nagar Park are in the pipeline to get a facelift with inclusivity.