Patna: The ongoing beatification work of Gandhi Maidan is a prime example of how a project in Bihar needs more than money to be a success.

The iconic city ground is being refurbished for Rs 3 crore. Installation of jogging a track (morrum pathway), chequered tiles and paver blocks is going on. However, there is scant supervision of the project and people have started riding two-wheelers and even four-wheelers over the tiles and morrum pathway, damaging the material.

The morrum pathway for jogging is being laid adjacent to the concrete road. The work of installing the chequered red tiles and paver blocks on both sides of the pathway is in its final stage. However, it has become difficult for the executing agency to give finishing touches as every day tiles are damaged.

Visitors to the ground have even removed new benches. The beautification work also includes installation of 160 wood and wrought iron benches, apart from 60 designer lights.

"It has become difficult for me to work over here," Shiv Shankar Prasad, the contractor looking after the beautification work, told The Telegraph on Monday. "I am trying my best to give finishing touches but the visitors are creating a lot of trouble. They have damaged the tiles by riding four-wheelers over them. They have also damaged the morrum pathway being created for the morning walkers,"

The jogging track is around 2km long, as is the chequered red tile track adjacent to it. Around 80 benches and 40 lights have been installed so far. However, the regular and heavy flow of visitors to the ground has affected the work.

The contractor demanded that the administration should deploy the police or restrictions should be put in place so that visitors are not allowed to ride bikes and four-wheeler over the under-construction bits.

The agency has put up a board listing the restrictions for visitors, but people ignore the instructions.

On February 5 this year, Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishor had visited the ground to check the quality of the work. Kishor heads the Sri Krishna Smarak Vikas Samiti which is responsible for the maintenance and beautification of Gandhi Maidan.

The jogging track was a long-pending demand of morning walkers.

"The morrum pathway and chequered tiles are getting damaged due to vehicles," said SP Verma Road resident Manoj Kumar, a regular morning walker at the Maidan.

"Sometimes, they just come in front of us and we have to get off the pathway. Why doesn't the administration make some arrangement? If this prevails, the morrum pathway and jogging track will disappear."