Patna: Work on the jogging track at Gandhi Maidan started on Thursday and other works related to beautification of the ground will start in the next few days, including installation of 150 wrought-iron-and wood benches and 60 designer lights.

The beautification work would be completed by June 2018, said Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishor, who inspected the 62-acre Maidan on Thursday.

Chequered red tiles and paver blocks will be put on the present concrete road. Kishor asked Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (Buidco) executive engineer Uday Kumar to first install the tiles on 50 meters on the pathway on a trial basis and then carry out work in the rest of the ground.

"There was long time demand of the morning walkers to have a morrum pathway for jogging like Eco Park has. There would be paver blocks of 0.45 meter each at both sides of the pathway, which would be 1.8 meter wide. It would be a great work for the residents of Patna," Kishor said.

The paver blocks would be in four colours: yellow, red, grey and chocolate.

"I have given instructions that if there is a tree in the path of the jogging track, it should skirt the tree," Kishor said.

The development and beatification of the ground is aimed at developing it as a city square. There are many drainage gutters in the ground which will come in the path of the morrum jogging track. Kishor asked Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) chief engineer Ashok Kumar to ensure that drainage is not affected and said that if required the gutters can be painted.

Kishor asked for a drainage plan within a week, and said the committee that looks after the ground can allot up to Rs 25 lakh for a better drainage system. He also ordered more trees to be planted.