Long road ahead: A steamroller at Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Aug. 5: Those of you who hope to see a beautiful Gandhi Maidan on Independence Day, brace yourself for disappointment. Despite the district administration’s promise to beautify the green zone before August 15, much of the proposed makeover is still incomplete.

Sources said the project would probably be finished by March next year.

The historic ground is ready for the Independence Day parade though.

District magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh told The Telegraph: “We are giving finishing touches to Gandhi Maidan for the Independence Day parade. There would not be any problem on August 15. Let me assure you that the preparations will be completed in a few more days. As far as the renovation of the whole of Gandhi Maidan is concerned, I think it will take some more time. The state building construction department has been engaged to complete the work.”

Asked about the tentative date when renovation work would be completed, Singh said: “As I said earlier, it will take some more time. Earlier, we had problems in getting the right soil to fill the potholes. Now we have got that. As far as the date is concerned, we are likely to finish the work by March 2012. The renovation and beautification work will be complete by then. The district administration plans to take up the beautification work of Gandhi Maidan in a bigger way.”

He also said: “Levelling the ground is a big challenge in renovation work. A layer has been laid but there is a need for another layer. After that there would be layer pitching to make the ground stronger. The quality of the grass is also important. For that, the quality of seeds needs to be good. The other things that need special attention is construction of new benches and repairing of old ones, repair of the boundary walls and grilles, plantation and construction of pathways. These take a lot more time.

“Waterlogging is another major problem that results from choking of the drains. Work has now been started to make the drainage system more effective.”

A source said: “The boundary wall will have grille and brick work. These will add beauty to the outer wall. The inner part of the boundary wall will have plants in flowerpots. The administration is also planning to install automatic sprinklers that will provide water to the ground at regular intervals. The budget for the complete makeover of Gandhi Maidan is Rs 8.5 crore.”

Asked if political parties would be allowed to host rallies at Gandhi Maidan after the beautification, Singh said: “I can’t comment on that at present. The decision on the that will be taken once the renovation is complete.”