The Greater Chennai Corporation will develop 36 new parks and 11 sports grounds across Chennai at a combined estimated cost of nearly Rs.44 crore, expanding public open spaces under the first phase of the Chief Minister’s Integrated Urban Development Mission for 2026-31.
The proposed parks will cost Rs.34.45 crore, while the 11 sports grounds will require an estimated Rs.9.52 crore. The projects will be distributed across several corporation zones, including Manali, Ambattur, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Perungudi and Sholinganallur.
The civic body is currently inviting tenders for the works. Construction and development will begin after the tender process is completed, according to Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G S Sameeran.
The proposed park sites include the Kathipara-Airport entrance and the VIP arrival area at the airport, the stretch beneath the 2B bridge on Manali Road in Tondiarpet zone, and locations along EVR Periyar Salai and Nelson Manickam Salai in Anna Nagar zone. Peters Road in Teynampet is also among the identified locations.
Sholinganallur will account for a significant share of the park development. Sites identified in the zone include Kannagi Nagar, Adityaram Nagar and Jawahar Nagar, along with areas under the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board. Other proposed locations include Nerkundram and residential neighbourhoods in Manali and Perungudi.
The distribution places the projects across established neighbourhoods, major road corridors, airport approaches and areas with large residential populations. The proposed locations also include spaces beneath a bridge and along arterial roads, indicating that the programme will use a mix of vacant, roadside and institution-linked urban sites for public-space development.
The 11 sports grounds will be located in Amirthammal Nagar and Ashoka Street in Madhavaram zone; Sharma Nagar, Dr Ambedkar Arts College and EH Road in Tondiarpet zone; RV Nagar in Kodambakkam zone; and selected locations in Sholinganallur, including CLRI Nagar and Tamil Nadu Housing Board layouts.
The corporation is also considering private firms for the upkeep of the sports facilities. This introduces a separate maintenance component to the projects, although the supplied details do not specify the proposed contract structure, performance standards or duration of private maintenance arrangements.
The projects are part of CMIUDM, a five-year scheme announced for urban local bodies across Tamil Nadu between 2026 and 2031. The scheme has an overall outlay of Rs.1.5 lakh crore, with Rs.2,000 crore earmarked for urban greening, recreation and open-space development across the State during the five-year period.
For Chennai, the immediate milestone is the completion of the tender process. The corporation has not specified a construction timeline for individual parks or sports grounds in the announcement.
