Children play at Rajdhani Vatika in Patna. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Feb. 5: Summer evenings in the Rajdhani Vatika would be more pleasant for visitors if the renovation plan, chalked out by the forests and environment department, is realised within the deadline.

Even the morning walkers, who get a free entry to the park, would be able to do stretching exercises on the facilities to be installed on the ground by March this year.

The department has earmarked Rs 43 lakh for undertaking the renovation work of the park, which is one of the favourite destinations for the residents of the state capital, as well as visitors from other places.

The facilities to be added to the park include lighting and seating arrangements around the park’s pond, beautification of the underpass, sheds for relaxation and toilets on the southern and northern wings.

The park’s pond, spread over an acre, offers boating facilities. “The lighting would be done on the edge of the pond so that those coming here in the evening can enjoy quality time near the water body,” Patna divisional forest officer (DFO) Surendra Singh told The Telegraph today. To ensure comfortable seating arrangements around the pond, 20 benches, each with a capacity to accommodate three persons, will be put up. “We are adding this feature in accordance with the feedback received from the visitors,” Singh said, adding that most of the benches in the park are far away from the pond at present.

Specially designed tiles are being fitted on the walls of the underpass that connects the northern wing of the park to the southern one. The tiles would be decorated with attractive sceneries.

Beautification apart, the department has also decided to put up new sheds for visitors keeping the summer heat in mind.

“We have planted a lot of trees for this purpose but they would take time to grow and provide shade to the visitors. Hence, we have decided to add more artificial sheds,” said the DFO.

The park administration has also decided to add two toilet complexes on the premises. While one complex would come up in the northern wing, the another one would come up on the southern side.

In addition to the amenities, a part of the development fund would be spent on developing facilities for health freaks who visit the park in large numbers every morning. “We are going to set up certain equipment which people can use to do stretch exercises,” Singh said.

Welcoming the plan of the forests department, Virendra Kumar Singh, a resident of Yarpur area, said: “The park in its present condition too is a very good place for visitors, particularly those suffering from ailments like blood pressure and diabetes. It offers ample open space and a clean environment where people can spend quality time.”

Singh is not alone in praising the park. The sale of tickets of the park suggests around 3,000 visitors frequent it on a daily basis. An equal number of visitors come in the morning hour when entry is free.

“In the first 10 months of the current fiscal (April 2011 to January 2012) we have generated a revenue of Rs 34 lakh whereas the annual maintenance cost of the park is Rs 30 lakh,” said Singh.