A significant piece of the city’s post-independence history has fallen victim to a careless renovation project. A marble commemorative plaque at the Nageswara Rao Park, dating back to 1949, was found severely damaged and discarded amidst construction debris in the park.
The plaque, which marks the park’s official opening on October 20, 1949, now lies in pieces, its historical inscriptions cracked and obscured by yellow paint and concrete dust.
The damaged stone serves as a rare record of the region’s political transition, bearing the name of Sri P.S. Kumaraswami Raja, the then Premier of Madras.
It also lists several prominent officials of the era, including Ramaswami Naidu and the Municipal Commissioner C. Narasimham.
Residents and history enthusiasts have expressed outrage, noting that while renovation is meant to improve public spaces, the destruction of such artifacts erases the tangible link between the modern city and its founding administrators.
A month ago, when the Mylapore MLA was told about the demolished pillars ( there are two marker stones on two old pillars), he promised to look into it and said they stones were safe. That clearly was not a fact.
Park land heritage lovers want GCC’s commissioner and SE of parks to intervene, locate both the stones, repair them, preserve them and ensure these are fitted into the new walls when work on park renovation closes.
Photos and report: T. Jaisakthivel
