Navin Smriti Park in Rajvanshi Nagar in Patna that was inaugurated by chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, May 11: The state capital is in a go-green mode.

Living up to it, the state government re-opened Rajvanshi Nagar Park today with a new name — Navin Smriti Park. The park, renovated at a cost of Rs 1.95 crore, opened to the public in remembrance of late BJP MLC Navin Kishore Sinha.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar, who inaugurated the park, also laid the foundation stone of a life-size statue of Sinha. Nitish said: “I congratulate the urban development department for the work they did in the park. They have done a really good job.”

The chief minister, however, did not lose an opportunity to take a dig at the Opposition parties.

“When three years back, our government decided to change Patna into a city of parks, the Opposition parties made adverse remarks, stating that Patna was a dumping zone. Actually, they didn’t want the beautification of the parks. But now, they have got their answer,” said Nitish.

Nitish said: “We needed parks in the city as the young generation was totally cut off from nature. They chose to stay indoors, surfing on the Net. They were nowhere to be seen in the city’s greenery. In this age of capitalism, a park is a cosy centre where people of different age groups can meet. Not only do the parks help children, it is also a good place of recreation for the elderly.

“It was the top priority of the urban development department to create such places in the state. We have also decided to search for options in other cities of the state. So far, we have identified 90 places and the work is already complete at some places. For beautification of parks, we are depending on corporate social responsibility and funds from the state government,” added Nitish.

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi and (right) chief minister Nitish Kumar at the inauguration on Wednesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

The chief minister also said the dos and don’ts would be listed in the parks to prevent misuse by residents. For this, a three-member team, including chief secretary of the road construction department Pratyay Amrit and the Patna district magistrate, would make a policy in the days to come.

The central government also found mention at the inauguration today, as Nitish made it a point to express his displeasure with the Centre. Without taking any names, he said: “I do not have anything to say on the view of the people sitting in Delhi. No matter what they do to make our work difficult, we will surely come up at the top and set an ideal.”

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi was also present at the inauguration of the park. Modi suggested that pictures of the Navin Smriti Park before and after the renovation should be installed on the premises so that the residents become aware about the kind of work undertaken to beautify the city. “One such park has also been developed in my neighbourhood. I am surprised to see the number of people turning up at the park and this gives me a sense of satisfaction in our work,” said Modi.

Road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav was full of praise or the chief minister, as he said: “Aaj accha lag raha hain. Waise hamare mukhyamantri sahib ka kaam accha lagne wala hi hota hain. Isi baat par to ek jordaar tali banta hain (It feels good today. Though our chief minister’s work is something that always makes one feel good, it deserves an applause).”

Also present today were animal and fish resources minister Giriraj Singh, urban development minister Prem Kumar, health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, K.P. Ramaiah, the commissioner of Patna, MLA Nitin Navin and several BJP workers.