Patna, June 24: Morning-walkers and regular visitors to Gandhi Maidan are a disappointed lot. The Cinderella-like transformation of the green stretch promised by the district administration has failed to see the light of day.

First, the district administration had promised that the maidan would be beautified by the arrival of monsoon. The rains arrived on June 15, not the greens.

The showers rather complicated the problems of the grounds. The potholes got filled with water. The choked drainage system aggravated the waterlogging.

Now, the district administration claims that the project would be finished before August 15. The regulars at the maidan are, however, sceptical.

Lodhipur Colony resident Sudeep Singh, a regular morning-walker at the park, said: “The maidan is the only green stretch in the city. It should be maintained properly. But I believe that the district administration will not live up to the expectation this time as well.”

District magistrate (DM) Sanjay Kumar Singh told The Telegraph: “We were sure that we would be able to complete the work before the arrival of monsoon. But we could not get the proper soil to fill the potholes. Mark my words, the work will be completed by August 15.”

He added: “The kind of soil which we need for the levelling is not available everywhere. This is a particular and unique kind of soil. If we use some other kind of soil, it will not last for long. Heavy rain may wash it away. So, we have to be careful. Once it is done it should last for long. As the administration is doing this after a long time, everything has to be perfect.”

The administration, however, has plans aplenty but all of them are in a limbo.

The DM said: “The main work at Gandhi Maidan include repair of boundary walls, replacement of old benches with new ones, planting saplings, laying pathways and cleanliness. All this is a part of the district administration’s cleanliness drive. The lighting in the maidan will also be improved. The administration is determined to develop Gandhi Maidan into a model park. A zone would be earmarked for senior citizens. A separate park will be constructed for children.”

Such promises, however, do not cut ice with the residents anymore. The boundary walls are yet to be repaired. New benches are still to replace the old ones and new saplings have not yet been planted. Vagrants and urchins loiter in the green patch and litter it even now.

“The monsoon has already arrived in the state. The rain waterlogged many parts of the city, including Gandhi Maidan. I doubt that the administration will complete the beautification work before August 15,” said another regular morning-walker.