Patna: An abandoned piece of land a few years ago, SK Puri Park - popularly known as Children's Park on Boring Road - has transformed into a lush green stretch frequented by 2,000 daily visitors, thanks to the state government.

The 4.56-acre park is now right after Patna Zoo and Eco Park in terms of facilities it offers. Thousands of people take walks, use the park's open-air gym and practise yoga every morning and evening.

Earlier, children used to play cricket and other games here but now those have been banned.

Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (BUIDCO) developed the park. On September 9, 2015, the environment and forest department took charge of maintaining the park.

"I consider this park one of the best in Patna. A round of morning walk here invigorates me," said Purushottam Rajan (41), the senior sales manager of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bihar and Jharkhand, who lives opposite the park.

The park has a jogging track all around the ground. From March to October, the park is open between 8am and 8 pm and from 10am to 7pm from November to February.

Post-8am, visitors have to pay Rs 5 to enter the park on all days except Tuesday, when it remains closed. The introduction of the Rs 60 monthly pass system from March 2016 pushed up the footfall in the park from the previous average of 1,000-1,500 to the present 2,000.

Three months ago, the park got two gyms, one for men and another for women. The gyms are similar to the one at Gandhi Maidan, and can cater to at least 20 people at a time. Equipment include sky walker, leg press, air walker, rower, cross trainer, chest pressure, seated puller, peck deck, horizontal bar, back extension and triple twister.

The park has 63 stone and wooden benches. It also has swings and slides for children. As SK Puri has become a hub of tutorial homes, many students visit the park in the evening.

The park has six high-mast lights and a centralised public address system. In the evening, instrumental tunes are played at low volume. A fountain fitted with colourful lights is at the centre of the park. It also has four reverse osmosis water purifiers and separate toilets for men and women. There are dustbins kept across the park.

"This park is ideal for joggers and has all the facilities for fitness-minded people," said Pranav Gupta (30), a resident of Boring Canal Road, a regular visitor for three years. "The grass should be mowed at regular intervals. Rest, everything is perfect."

An official of the environment and forest department claimed the park has maximum green cover after Patna Zoo.

"The department spends Rs 24 lakh on the annual maintenance of this park," Sunil Kumar Saran, the range officer of Patna forest division who looks after the maintenance and security of this park, told The Telegraph. "We have recruited 24 people to maintain the ground round the clock."

Saran added an average of 1,800 people buy tickets to enter the park daily, while 300 are pass-holders.