Open spaces in the city and in West Kochi will get an image makeover under the Smart Cities Mission.
The project will be executed as a joint initiative of Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) and the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) within a year. Toilet complexes and disabled-friendly infrastructure will be readied wherever possible.
The project includes a ₹8.38-crore package that will be implemented in West Kochi — at Parade Ground, Ro-Ro Jetty Junction, and open spaces on Church Road and River Road. The components include landscaping, installation of sculptures, ornamental lights, compact play equipment, and heritage architecture. The Mattancherry Park, Nehru Park, and Pallathu Raman Park too will be renovated.
The projects in the city under a ₹5.65-crore package will include renovation of Rajendra Maidan, which lost its simplicity and sheen about a decade ago after the GCDA constructed structures as part of a laser show project. The project received tardy response from members of the public. Efforts will be made as part of the renovation work to restore the waterfront open space, where a slew of freedom fighters spoke, to its lost glory.
CSML will also fund the construction of a wall at Subhash Park, pending renovation work on Marine Drive walkway, and also the renovation of High Court Junction, Vanchi Square, and Chilavannoor Park.
The P.J. Antony Cultural Centre and Ground too will be given a new look with a gym, kids’ play area, walkways, and new drains, while a toilet complex too will be built there. An open-air theatre and football court too have been envisaged under a ₹5.99-crore project. The projects are taken up to improve the extent of open spaces in Kochi, the sources said.
On its part, the GCDA has mooted a project to renovate parks, which were in a state of disrepair, in the Greater Kochi area.
