CM Stalin to inaugurate Kalaignar Centenary Park in Chennai tomorrow

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin will inaugurate the Kalaignar Memorial Centenary Park in the name of DMK patriarch and his father M. Karunanidhi, popularly referred to as Kalaignar, in Chennai on Monday.

The park will have a 10,000 sq ft glass garden, a horticultural museum, a musical fountain show, an aviary and a 500-metre zipline.

The park, situated just opposite Semmozhi Poonga on Cathedral Road in Chennai, also houses an orchid hut, artificial waterfalls, green huts, a traditional vegetable garden, a children's play area and a cafeteria.

CM Stalin unveiled the foundation stone for the park's construction in an area of 6.09 acres in February this year.

Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department said in a statement that the entry fee to the park for an adult was Rs 100 and Rs 50 for a child.

The entry ticket for the aviary was Rs 150 for an adult and Rs 75 for a child. The visitors were permitted to feed the birds inside the aviary.

A ticket for the musical fountain show would cost Rs 50. The ticket for the glass garden housing rare flora for an adult and a child would cost Rs 50 and Rs 40 respectively.

The statement said that Rs 100 would be charged as the fee for taking photographs inside the park. These entry tickets are valid only for three hours.

Meanwhile, environmental activists have come out against serial lights being wrapped on rare heritage trees in the park.

Pachimuthu, an environmental activist based out of Chennai, told media persons that about 20 such heritage trees inside the park were wrapped with serial lights.

He said the serial lights were hung on the trees using nails that harm the bark.

The environmental activist also said the heat from these lights could kill microorganisms on the tree.

However, A. Jayapandi, Deputy Director of the Horticulture Department and in charge of the Kalaignar Centenary Park said that the serial lights would be removed immediately after the inauguration.