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The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Work on mini stadium in Puducherry nearing completion
The construction work of a mini sports stadium, one of the most anticipated projects under the Smart Cities Mission at the erstwhile Anna Thidal in Puducherry is nearing completion, with the facility planned for inauguration in June. Located in the Boulevard, the work commenced in June 2021 and existing shops facing Anna Salai were demolished to construct the stadium. The scope of works included a basement parking, a dormitory, a football ground, 200-metre running track, pétanque court, gymnasium and a children's play area. 'About 90% of the works have been completed, with only electrical works and construction of the front arch pending. With the completion of electrical works for the 179 shops, the facility will be opened for public use. It is expected to be inaugurated in June,' a senior official said. The project faced long delay as the contractor failed to complete the works even after 32 months. The delay resulted in severe hardship to the public and students of various government schools in the vicinity. Since many of the government schools in the Boulevard area did not have a playground, the schoolchildren were using the Anna Thidal. Following inordinate delay, the Puducherry Smart City Development Limited (PSCDL) Board terminated the contract. 'The existing contractor had completed about 80% of the work. Due to inordinate delays, the contract was terminated, and the remaining portion of the work was awarded to NBCC (India) Ltd., a Central government undertaking. Besides, the initial estimate of ₹9.66 crore had to be revised after several new facilities were proposed in the scope of works and a fresh estimate was prepared for ₹17.58 crore. As many as 179 shops would come up in the stadium', an official said. The revised scope of works in the new design also included flood lighting, landscaping, tennis court, volleyball court and a playground. A visitors' gallery to accommodate 4,500 persons and other facilities have been completed. According to a PSCDL official, the electrical works for shops is underway and will be completed shortly. The shop spaces in the mini stadium, including those on the front facing Anna Salai, will be allotted to existing traders. The stadium is likely to be inaugurated in June.
The Hindu
08-05-2025
- The Hindu
Public irked over delay in reopening of Botanical Garden
Much to the disappointment of residents and tourists alike, the green lung of the city, the Botanical Garden, has been kept out of bounds during peak summer after agriculture department closed the facility for Puducherry Smart City Development Limited (PSCDP) to take up renovation work of the garden. The garden was closed for public in 2024 for renovation works which included, landscaping, sprucing up of the garden, construction of an amphitheatre, jogging track, pathways, reconstruction of ticket counter, improvement of fountains and provision for battery-operated joy train at a cost of ₹9.11 crore. The works were scheduled to be completed in January this year. While there have been claims and counter claims by the agriculture department and PSCDP over the status of the work, the public are angry over the closure of the facility for so long. PSCDP officials said they had met the Director of Agriculture around two weeks ago and explained about all the works done. A book regarding the works completed was submitted to the department, said a PSCDP officer. However, an official in the Agriculture Department maintained that some more works were pending and it would take a few more days for reopening the garden. 'When we went to the garden during Christmas vacation last year, we were told by the security personnel that it will be opened in January this year. After the closure of school in April, we went again but the garden remained closed. We were told it will take at least a month for its opening. After Bharathi Park, the Botanical Garden is the only place for us to relax in a natural environment. The government should have planned for reopening the facility during summer vacation,' said Ravikanth, a resident of Lawspet. The security guards posted at the entrance say a lot of tourists come on a daily basis to visit the place. ' All major works were completed weeks ago and even new battery operated vehicles have been procured and kept ready for tourists. The toy train is also ready. Only the signage board work is going on,' said a guard posted near the entrance of Marimalaiadigal Salai. The garden was established in 1826 by the French botanist George Samuel Perrottet on an experimental basis to preserve the unique vegetation of the region. The 22-acre garden has a collection over 2, 400 trees, 213 genus types and 293 species. The garden is the venue for the annual flower show in Puducherry.
