The Madras High Court has directed the Chennai District Green Committee to hold discussions with a five-member committee constituted by the court, to suggest steps for restoration of Thiru Vi Ka Park in Shenoy Nagar to its old glory and file a joint report on the restoration work by September 7.
Justice M. Dhandapani issued the directions after amicus curiae Chevanan Mohan told the court that the park’s restoration work had come to a standstill since May 2023 when Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) moved the Division Bench against the constitution of the five-member committee.
Since the Division Bench had pointed out that a State-level green committee as well as district-level green committees were functioning to ensure the protection of green cover within their jurisdictions, the single judge suo motu impleaded the district-level committee in the case pending before him.
He recalled personally inspecting the park on March 18 when CMRL Managing Director M.A. Siddique as well as some residents of Shenoy Nagar were present. Then, the residents insisted on increasing the greenery in the park restored by CMRL after completion of the Metro Rail work.
During the inspection, the CMRL MD had conceded that the park could not be restored fully to its past glory as promised to the Supreme Court as well as the High Court. He assured the judge of taking steps to reduce the concrete space in the restored park and to plant more number of saplings.
It was thereafter that the single judge had constituted a committee and ordered that CMRL should not cut any tree for the Metro Rail work across Chennai without its approval. He said the committee was constituted with the concurrence of the counsel for CMRL and yet the latter moved the Division Bench against the order.
Nevertheless, since the Division Bench had taken into consideration the existence of a district-level green committee, the single judge decided to include that committee as one of the respondents in the case before him and direct it to act in coordination with the five-member committee for restoration of Shenoy Nagar park.
