Green hideaway in heart of Chennai

Rs 8Cr Project Coming Up At The Erstwhile Drive-In Restaurant Site On Cathedral Road

M Guansekaran TNN

Chennai: Amidst the city’s concrete jungle, a green hideaway, a veritable microcosm of multiple gardens—rainforest, rock garden, butterfly garden, a grove of palms, bamboo garden, fern house, herbal garden, gazebo and many more—will soon come up.
With the consultant, Rajendran Associates, submitting its detailed project report for the world class botanical garden at the 18-acre site near Anna flyover (where Woodlands Drive-In restaurant was located, and the premises opposite to it), the agricultural engineering department has invited tenders for the Rs 7.91 crore first phase work.
Soon after taking possession of the prime land, where the drive-in restaurant and the agri-horticultural society used to function, after a prolonged legal battle, chief minister M Karunanidhi has asked officials to establish a world class botanical garden and horticultural research centre. Agriculture minister Veerapandi S Arumugam said it had been decided not to lease or rent out the land. Director of horticulture B Chandra Mohan told The Times of India that the work would be executed at the eightacre site (the erstwhile Woodlands spot) in the first phase and was expected to be completed in a year. “We have decided not to cut any of the tall and old trees on the site and the park would be developed around the trees.
All the trees including 68 mast trees, 45 wild acacia, 10 nuna and 15 wild trees will be preserved and serve as live specimens to botany students, scientists and enthusiasts,” he said. The concept will be unique, entirely different from the upcoming Adyar Poonga or Marina beautification project. The tenders will be opened on November 4 but the ground work to establish the green canopy would begin after the outcome of the legal suit in the apex court. There will be a pathway beneath Cathedral Road to link the two wings and there would be no big buildings, sources said.
Explaining its recreation value, Chandra Mohan said the creation of a unique urban park, with a combination of scenic natural settings, scientific and practical education, training sites and recreational options, would add attract more visitors. Besides a children play area and food court, the park will have an amphitheatre and space to conduct flower show. Miniatures with exotic themes and names—aroma garden, Zen garden, topiary garden, water garden, maze park, herbal garden, rock garden and tree houses—will be other important features of the garden. It will have a greenhouse and a nursery inside the premises. The consultants suggest nearly 9,000 shrubs, 200 trees and 6,875 ground covers like lily, coconut palm, snow bush and helconia dwarf to be planted. As per the plan, the entire area will have water-harvesting facility and smaller water bodies too. “We are planning for tree walks, board walk (where delicate plants underneath) and rope walk,” Chandra Mohan said, adding that the project w o u l d e n a b l e p e o p l e t o s t u d y , u n d e r - s t a n d a n d enjoy nature.