Patna, April 27: With its small pools and exotic varieties of plants, Hardinge Park was once a paradise of fitness freaks, professionals and homemakers. Renamed Veer Kunwar Singh Park in official records, the green patch has turned grey.

The park, named after Viceroy Hardinge who had taken a keen interest in shaping the capital, was a happy recreation centre for Jakkanpur and Beerchand Patel Path area residents. Its green grass lured the morning-walkers; the pools and plants drew children and homemakers.

Sprawling over three acres, the park has lost its sheen over the years. Ill-maintained grass patches, bushes, broken walkways and a haven for criminals after sunset, it is now everything a park should not be. Just a few now muster courage to venture inside.

“My heart cries every time I see this park because I have seen it in its prime. There were small pools with fishes and trees. A lot of people used to come here. As there is no other park for residents of Jakkanpur, some people still come here but there is a major security issue apart from lack of beautification,” said Krishna Mohan Shastri, a social worker.

He added: “The government promised to restore the lost glory of the park several times but we are yet to see any plan or action for its revamp.”

Old-timers say the deterioration of the park began in the late 60s and early 70s, when its eastern end became a camping ground for various circus troupes and the southern part was converted into a bus stand.

“Hardly 10-15 people come here for morning walk or exercise as it is in a pathetic condition. Stray cattle enter the park through broken boundaries. Drunkards and drug addicts are seen squatting here and it is highly unsafe for women,” Satyendra Kumar Singh, an engineer with Indian Railways, said.

“I had alerted the police after I saw a body hanging from a mango tree. I come here for a short while in the morning and leave early. It is high time the government paid heed towards its reconstruction,” he said.

Officials in the urban development department said the government was keen to go for a total revamp of the park, as the state cabinet approved the proposal about a fortnight ago.

“The work will be carried out through the Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation. The cost of remodelling would be estimated only after a detailed project report is prepared. After the beautification and remodelling work is complete, it will be outsourced to a private agency for maintenance and upkeep. All the parks in the city are being revived in a phase-wise manner. Hardinge Park is very much on our radar,” said a senior official in the department.

Besides regular features of a park, it will also showcase the contributions of freedom fighters who laid down their lives between 1857 and 1947, among them Veer Kunwar Singh, the hero of the First War of Independence.