Patna, April 28: Nothing works like people power. The residents of Bahadurpur, Gandhinagar and Bhootnath Road area proved it by taking over the charge of maintaining Bahadurpur Housing Colony Sector II Park after Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam (BRPNN) stopped its renovation halfway.

They formed a 20-member committee — Park Vikash Samiti — to look after the lungs of the three localities. They pool in money for its upkeep.

The panel members take turns to open and lock the gates of the park. Better still, they water the plants.

The residents have decided to plant trees as well. Sambhu Saran Srivastava, a retired bank employee, said: “This park came up in 2009 and since then I have been a regular morning-walker there. Initially, the park was not maintained and animals littered the park because the gates remained open. We have decided to plant trees. The officials should pay attention to the park. With no power, it becomes pitch dark at night. Rowdy elements enter the park scaling the wall and consume liquor.”

When BRPNN started renovation of the park one-and-a-half years ago, the residents of the upscale society were upbeat. But their smile did not last long. The work stopped soon after.

When the residents’ visits to the officials concerned failed to bear any result, they decided to take things into their own hands. They formed a committee to maintain the park on 20 cottahs.

Colonel (retd) S.K. Sinha, a resident of Bhootnath Road area, said: “Since I live in this area and my house is adjacent to the park, I was very happy when the government decided to develop the dumping ground into a park where we could go for walks and our children could play. We were delighted to learn that trees would be planted.”

He said: “The construction of the park started in September 2009. The officials used to visit the site on a regular basis. But the work came to a standstill in March 2010.”

Colonel Sinha, the president of Park Vikash Samiti, said: “We waited for six months hoping that revamping of the park will restart but since nothing happened we decided to form our own committee. The panel came into being six months ago and it has 20 members at present. We regularly approach the officials and try to build pressure on them but nothing happens. They pay no attention to our problems.”

The committee members have taken certain initiatives after the park became a haven for hooligans and animals littered it. “We make sure the park is closed at night so that it does not become a haven for criminals. During afternoon too, we lock the park so that stray animals do not enter and litter it. The park is opened for three hours in the morning (5am to 8am) and in the evening (5pm to 8pm),” Sinha said.

He added: “The government should employ a caretaker because it is not possible for the residents to look after the park 24x7.”

The park at present has around 18 benches. But none is in good shape.

Grass patches have replaced flowers despite the best efforts of the residents. The park has an area earmarked for a water fountain. But it does not function.

Renu Mishra, a homemaker, said: “The government should take steps to grow plants. An initiative should be taken to make the water fountain function so that we can enjoy cool breeze in summer.”

The officials in the state urban development department said the park would get a facelift soon. “Only recently, six parks in Bahadurpur Colony were transferred to Patna Municipal Corporation for renovation. The sector-II park will also be transferred to the corporation in the next phase,” said a senior official in the department.