Vivek Narayanan

Tholkappia Poonga, a 58-acre Eco-park restored under public funds of Rs 42 crore, has in turn turned into a private walking club benefitting a few VIPs alone. A small group of RWAs, locals and regular walkers have blocked almost all public entry slots on the booking webpage until April 20, preventing entry for city residents and tourists. Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT) sells individual entry tickets at ₹20 per slot — 6.30am to 8am and 4.30pm to 6pm. But the booking website shows the calendar is booked until April 20. Monthly and yearly passes are also not available until April 20. The website, however, still allows bookings for guided tours for corporates, NGOs and educational institutions between 2.30pm and 4.30pm. Many visitors, who turned up over weekends without tickets, were not permitted to enter the park. A board at the entrance says “online booking only”. CRRT allows only 250 people allowed per slot. This means the park can take 500 visitors a day. Regular walkers have booked these slots through monthly and yearly passes until April. The next batch of bookings will open only after April 20. Up to 50 tickets are reserved for spot bookings, but these are issued only if pass-holders do not turn up. CRRT officials said they cannot do anything because the cap is 250 per slot and that regulars can be allowed only if the cap is increased.