 Early Times Report
Jammu, May 7: A contrast between the parks of Gandhi Nagar locality and the Janipur park at Wad number 37, has exposed the step mother treatment given by Floriculture department to parks in localities of common man whereas preferential treatment is given to parks where VIP's are residing.
The Veer Abhimanyu park of Ward no. 37 at Shivpuri, Janipur has been virtually converted into a dumping yard. The park, spread over a kanal of land, was constructed by the Jammu Municipal Corporation five years ago.
"The executing agency has been installed boundary grills and six benches in this park. But it forgot to install drinking water and toilet facilities," a local, Susheel Dogra, said, adding that on the contrary the parks of Gandhi Nagar locality are well maintained having all type of facilities such as proper footpaths, flowers, green grass, shady trees, drinking water facilities, proper benches, working fountains and children playing tools. All such facilities are absent in Veer Abhimanyu park, moreover, the park has been left to fend for itself for quite some time now.
"If the park was maintained properly, it could have been most preferred place for recreational activities for local residents. In the absence of well-maintained park in the area, children and elderly people visit a park in the nearby ward," Dogra said.
He said many a time residents of the area complained about the condition of the park to the authority concerned, but to no avail.
Before 2014 assembly elections, local MLA visited area and said that if his party came into power, they will maintain the Veer Abhimanyu park on priority basis. But the promise has remained just a promise so far. Despite being in power for more than three years now, the MLA has not visited the area even once.
The park was once a good spot for people to walk and relax but for quite some years, it is lying in a dilapidated condition. Moreover, it has been turned into dumping a yard for construction material, said Dogra. Another resident of the area said that the parks located in Gandhi Nagar are in a good condition, but in less influential areas of Jammu city, the parks are "in an ailing condition."
He further said that the probable reason behind proper maintenance of the Gandhi Nagar parks is due to the fact that a large number of VIPs including ministers, bureaucrats, legislators and senior police officers reside there and there comfort zone cannot be compromised at any cost. The JMC has failed to maintain these parks despite the fact that people are paying their hard-earned money in the form of taxes to it, said the residents. |
