Dry leaves, bottles and packets litter the park premises. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, May 29: Kumhrar, an archaeological site located on the Kankerbagh road, holds a special significance for the residents of the area.

Not only is the site a rich treasure of relics dating back to BC 600 to 600 AD but it is also home to beautiful flora and rare medicinal herbs.

The park, developed around the ruins of the 80-pillared parliament of Chandragupta Maurya, is presently maintained by Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam (BRPNN) and Archaeological Survey of India. It serves as green lungs for an area which is almost a concrete jungle. People of all ages are seen strolling in the park in search of fresh air and peaceful environment.

The green patch may be a relief for visitors but most of them are disappointed over its poor maintenance. K.L. Das, retired section officer at Patna University, said: “Every morning, people from far-off places visit this park for morning walk as this has quite a big area and a lot of plants here have medicinal value. But as far as maintenance is concerned, not much attention has been paid to it. There are no water tanks and the toilets on the premises are also very dirty.”

The park, which boasts of archaeological excavations of ancient capital of Ajatshatru, Chandragupta and Ashoka, is a major draw for tourists and history students too. Near the 80-pillored assembly hall is a brick Buddhist monastery, popularly called Anand Bihar. All these structures are surrounded by a landscaped area full of benches, grass patches, joggers’ track and plants, including medicinal ones.

However, there is hardly any description available about the kind of trees and their medicinal value.

Prafful Kumar, a yoga teacher who has been a regular to the park for early morning exercise, said: “This ground is good as there is lot of greenery around. The park perhaps has a very dense foliage but it grossly lacks cleanliness and maintenance. Heaps of garbage can be seen dumped everywhere and hardly anyone has done anything to remove them. One cannot find even a garbage bin anywhere as a result of which park is littered all the time.”

Manoj Kumar, a sweeper at the park, said: “As there are only two people to clean the entire park, it becomes difficult to maintain it properly. Hundreds of people throng the park throughout the day and it gets really difficult for us to keep it clean and garbage-free.”

Meanwhile, authorities in the BRPNN said there were no plans to immediately pump money into the park. About Rs 5 lakh is being spent for the upkeep of the park every month. This is being done through a private contractor. “Many parks have been transferred to the Patna Municipal Corporation for maintenance. We have kept this one under the corporation itself,” said a senior BRPNN official.