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Abol Tabol children’s park in Karunamoyee G Block which opened recently. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha
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Residents of Karunamoyee now have more space to spend their leisure hours in. A children’s park and a seating space for senior citizens were inaugurated on February 16.
“Kakalidi (local MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar) had a children’s park in mind with Abol Tabol as theme. I requested her to let me build it in my ward,” said local councillor Neelanjana Manna. An amount of Rs 7 lakh had been sanctioned from the MPLAD fund for the two projects.
The park has come up in G Block which has more children than the other blocks of the housing estate. Its walls are adorned in relief with immortal characters from Sukumar Roy’s work like Ramgorurer Chhana and Kumropotash. It has a merry-go-round, a slip and a swing.
Several children were already playing in the small park in the evening when it was inaugurated. “We are delighted to have this space. All these years, big boys used to push us out if we tried to play in the central playground,” said 10-year-old Aryan Jain who was playing with Swapnil Saha and Devendra Padhiari.
The senior citizens’ seating area which sits around 20 people, has come up next to E Block. “So many of us are becoming single. All these days, in course of our daily walks around the complex we used to stand and chat with neighbours. But those chats do not last long due to lack of a place to sit,” recalled Leena Lahiri, a 60-year-old resident of E Block. “Perhaps we can even hold our block meetings here,” suggested another senior citizen, Sumanta Kumar Maulik.
The space, recalled Lahiri, had a swing and a slip in the early 80s. “There were only two cars here then. Gradually the play equipment came apart and the number of cars increased. Now it is a parking space.”
An extension of the base of the seating space is already proving to be a challenge for drivers to negotiate. It suffered a dent on the day of the inauguration itself.
Till 2012, other than the central playground, the housing estate which is home to about 12,000 people, had a senior citizens’ park in G Block. “On Puja-eve, a children’s park was inaugurated with some seats for senior citizens in Phase I, between C and D blocks,” says Manna.
She promises more. “A park is being planned for F Block. Sujitda (local MLA Sujit Bose) has promised me the requisite funds,” she said.
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