Coimbatore: The municipal corporation is planning to renovate VOC Park, a leisure spot in the heart of the city, which has lost its charm over the years.
Renovation works would be taken up by tapping the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds of corporate houses, corporation commissioner M Prathap said. “We plan to conduct a competition to understand the needs of visitors. People can suggest the amenities they wish to see in the park and send design ideas. We plan to introduce theme parks within VOC Park, including butterfly park and sensory park for disabled people. Other cities have sensory parks to ensure inclusiveness,” he said.
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The corporation will also take up work to set up new lung spaces to improve quality of urban living, the commissioner said.
VOC Park, established 60 years ago, is spread across 2.5 acres. Visitors often complain about the age-old landscape design and broken figurines that have become an eyesore.
An aquarium and a Jurassic Park that display dinosaur models fail to attract visitors, a corporation official said. “A toy train service launched a few years ago has been stopped. The zoo next to the park was closed early this year based on an order from the central zoo authority,” he said.
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But people still visit the park to spend time with their families as they lack other options. B Mariaraj, a visitor, told TOI that he visits the park on weekends with his children. “I used to visit the park as a child. Now, I am visiting with my children. Nothing much has changed. The city lacks a modern facility to attract the present generation,” he added. (Times of India)
