Coimbatore Corporation councillors on Friday questioned the sharp increase in the estimated costs for annual park maintenance contracts during the Corporation Council meeting chaired by Mayor K. Ranganayaki.The discussion arose when subjects related to the maintenance of parks were taken up. Education, Parks and Playfields Committee Chairperson N. Malathi alleged that the estimates for some wards were disproportionately high. She pointed out that Ward 33 did not have a park but only a ground, yet the annual maintenance contract for the site had been estimated at ₹41 lakh. She also claimed that Ward 16 did not have a park despite a maintenance contract being proposed.Ms. Malathi said that the proposals had not been placed before the committee before being brought to the Council for approval. She said this had resulted in discrepancies going unnoticed.Ward 70 councillor Sarmila Suresh Narayanan questioned the steep increase in the maintenance cost for Anna Park in her ward. She said the contract value had risen from about ₹3 lakh to ₹12 lakh last year and had now been estimated at ₹27 lakh, though the park was very small and required only basic upkeep such as maintenance of the walking track.Responding to the concerns, Corporation officials said that in the past a single contractor had maintained multiple parks, resulting in inadequate maintenance due to a shortage of manpower. Under the revised system, each park would have a dedicated gardener for routine maintenance and cleaning. Electricians and plumbers would inspect every park once a week, while supervisors would monitor the quality of work, leading to higher maintenance costs.Officials said the Corporation had 374 parks in total and assured the Council that details of all parks would be furnished ward-wise.The Council approved 133 subjects relating to the maintenance of parks, public toilets and wells. Mayor Ranganayaki said councillors could submit representations if they felt any of the approved proposals required reconsideration. Published - July 17, 2026 08:38 pm IST