The Madras High Court has permitted the Cuddalore City Municipal Corporation to proceed with the construction of 110 shops on the peripheries of a 15-acre public playground, known as Manjakuppam ground/Thangaraj Maidanam, utilising the funds sanctioned by the State government last year under the Kalaignar Nagarpura Mempattu Thittam 2025-2026.Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed against the construction after recording the submission of the corporation counsel P. Srinivas that the shops would serve as a compound wall for the playground, as they could be accessed only from the roadside and not from the playground.The counsel told the court that only 4% out of the 15 acres would be utilised for the construction of the shops and the rest of the land would be maintained as the playground. He also said, 50% of the construction work was already completed and the revenue generated from renting out the shops would be utilised for providing better infrastructure facilities at the playground.N. Anandakumar, a resident of Cuddalore city, had filed the PIL petition, apprehending that the corporation might change the character of the playground if it was allowed to construct commercial shops on the peripheries. He also said, the Cuddalore district munsif court had passed a decree in 1995 for maintaining the playground as such without putting it to use for other purposes.However, not in agreement with the apprehensions raised by the petitioner, the judges wrote: “The entire construction of the shops would only remain as a compound wall to the playground, and the apprehensions raised by the petitioner that in view of the construction of these shops, the nature of the playground would get lost and the public would get affected, in our considered opinion, is misplaced.”The judges said, though the corporation ought to have constructed the shops in a commercial place, they do not see any hindrance or damage being caused to the playground in view of the submissions made by Mr. Srinivas. It disposed of the case with a direction to the corporation not to resort to any further construction on the playground and retain it for the use of the general public. Published - August 25, 2026 02:58 pm IST