Once popular hang-outs for young and old alike, parks in Ranchi are now facing slow and steady ruin, courtesy administrative apathy. Rarely ever on the maintenance roster, these green lungs are dirty and damaged, and serve as dens for gamblers and tipplers rather than being leisure addresses. ANIMESH BISOEE tours four parks to mirror reality
SIDO-KANHU UDYAN
Near Audrey House
- Area: 10 acres
- Guardian: Jharkhand State Forest Development Corporation
- Price tag: Rs 2 crore
- Inception: 2005
- Footfall: around 500, nearly half of them children
- Status: Damaged or missing see-saws, swings, slides and merry-go-rounds; defunct water tap; weed-covered pathways; lost manicured gardens
Visitorspeak: “My eight-year-old daughter was injured when her shoes got stuck in a hole on a slide. The authorities charge an entry fee (Rs 10 for children, Rs 15 for adults) and yet don’t bother to maintain the park,” said Sanjay Mishra, a BSF jawan and resident of Bariatu
Authorityspeak: “We will fix the slides and rides soon. We are also working with the RMC to repair the tap,” said L.R. Singh, managing director of the forest corporation
NAKSHATRA VAN
Near Raj Bhavan
- Area: 7.5 acres
- Guardian: Jharkhand State Forest Development Corporation
- Price tag: Rs 2 crore
- Inception: 2003
- Footfall: 600-800, at least half of them children
- Status: Broken rides; defunct water kiosk; mounds of garbage, mostly comprising liquor bottles
Visitorspeak: “My pants got caught on the jagged edge of a ride and now need stitching. There is no water in the taps and the toilets stink,” said Animesh Raj, a Class VI student of DAV Kapil Dev and resident of Kadru
Authorityspeak: “We will hire manpower to clean the park and get the taps and rides repaired,” said Singh
NIGAM PARK
Near Ranchi Lake
- Area: 1.5 acres
- Guardian: RMC
- Price tag: Rs 70 lakh
- Inception: 2013
- Footfall: around 500, mostly couples
- Status: Broken boundary wall and benches; missing lights; garbage everywhere
Visitorspeak: “The park is never ever cleaned. Concrete chunks lying here and there pose a threat as do dead tree branches,” said Prerna Kumari, a student of Ranchi University and resident of Lalpur
Authorityspeak: “We do clean the park. We will look into other problems,” said additional municipal commissioner Pankaj
DADA-DADI PARK
Opposite Morabadi grounds, also known as Children’s Park
- Area: 5 acres
- Guardian: RMC
- Price tag: Rs 12 lakh
- Inception: 2004
- Footfall: less than 100, including children and the elderly
- Status: Missing swings and see-saws; defunct water fountains
Visitorspeak: “Even a few months ago, I used to take my four-year-old grandson to the park. But now, we don’t go there. The rides are all damaged. Besides, some youths drink and abuse visitors,” said Lokesh Singh, a retired government official and resident of Karmatoli
Authorityspeak: “The park was meant for the children and senior citizens. We will deploy security guards,” said additional municipal commissioner Bidyanand Sharma Pankaj, without elaborating on the revamp issue
Pictures by Hardeep Singh
