Thanjavur: The city corporation here has taken up the renovation of the Sivaganga Park and tank under the Area Based Development (ABD) under the Smart city programme of Thanjavur.
As a prelude to renovation to be done at a cost of Rs 8.10 crore, dismantling of structures except for some monuments and age-old trees is now going on in the park, using bulldozers. The park has been temporarily shut for tourists who normally frequent it in large numbers during summer.
“The park may not be available this summer for children, but they will have a new renovated park with more attractions after the works are completed,” said corporation officials.
As the park and tank are located within the UNESCO monument complex, that is, the Sivaganga Little Fort, all the improvements will be done considering the heritage value of the park without disturbing heritage monuments there, officials clarified.
Renovations are being done as per norms of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), they added. The tank inside the park was the source of water supply to Thanjavur during the Nayak period. The park has an area of 5.18 hectares and the tank has 2.63 hectares. Both the park and tank are located immediately north of the Brahadeeswara temple in the central part of the city.
“It is going to be a complete renovation with improvements to be done in infrastructure, lighting, constructing and maintaining kiosks, the entrance of the park, greenery, park furniture, musical water fountains, children play equipment, renewal of the toy train which was running inside the park,” officials said.
Docking space for boats at Sivaganga tank is in a dilapidated condition, and will be renovated. Sewage inflow and dumping of solid wastes in the tank will be totally stopped.
The tank with four metres deep water is surrounded by the laterite walls of the small fort on the north and west and concrete retaining walls on the south, abutting the park. The tank can be accessed through 26 laterite steps and paddle boats are used for boating. A winch also connects the mandapam in the centre of the tank to the banks.
Besides landscape development, boating, garden benches, dustbins, pathways, and pop up fountains will be provided. With respect to street lights, shrub up lighters, tree down lighters, step down lighters, building focus lights will be provided. A toy train will be operated and children will have play equipment like roller slides, wave slides, double post swimming, merry go round platform, spiral scrambler, circular swing and multi-play station unit.
