To directly benefit as many as 500 families in the State, 169 women from self-help groups (SHGs) will be trained to maintain 51 parks, under the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department across the State.
The training module for Cuddalore, Tiruchi and the Nilgiris has been readied, and will be formulated for other districts under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) sub-project — AMRUT Mitra. The total project, estimated to cost ₹4.175 crore of Central government funds, will run initially for two years, officials said.
In Chennai, parks on Kathivakkam High Road in Ennore and near Balakrishna Nagar in Thiruvottiyur under Zone I, on V.S. Mani Nagar Phase - 1 under Zone III, two within the blocks of Tsunami Quarters in Tondiarpet under Zone IV and in 4th Cross Street in Sakthi Garden under Zone XV will be taken up for maintenance.
| Zone | Division | Location |
| 1 | 1 | One in Thallankuppam Slum Board Quarters, Kathivakkam High Road, Ennore |
| 1 | 7 | One near Balakrishna Nagar., Thiruvottiyur |
| 3 | 25 | One in V.S. Mani Nagar Phase - 1 |
| 4 | 40 | Two in Tsunami Quarters, Tondiarpet |
| 15 | 193 | Sakthi Garden, 4th Cross Street |
Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner J.Radhakrishnan said the initiative is an extension of a Government Order issued earlier by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department aimed at empowering women. To kickstart this exercise, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin handed over equipment to six women SHGs on March 4, 2024.
According to S. Nittianandame, State Mission Manager (Skills and Livelihoods), the training and module formulation for the first batch of 50 women in Chennai, Tambaram, Cuddalore and Dharmapuri is expected to be done by March 15. “They will be trained for watering plants, de-weeding, nursery development and maintaining play fields, by Krishi Dev Gyan [KDG], Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Department of Horticulture And Plantation Crops. A minimum of two and a maximum of four members will be assigned for a park based on the size of the space and each member will be paid ₹9,500 to ₹10,000 accordingly,” he said.
Mathi Cafe
Mr. Nittianandame added that a project called ‘Mathi Cafe’, a proposal under AMRUT Mitra, is to be submitted to the Directorate of Municipal Administration and respective Corporation Commissioners and SHGs. The project is to identify parks within their limits, where a cafe each worth ₹10 lakh to serve coffee and health drinks can be set up by members of women SHGs. “With this, a total of 2,000 families will benefit across the State through maintenance and development of park infrastructure alone,” he added.
Published - March 11, 2024 10:30 pm IST
