In Ranchi, VIP parks bloom with flowers, public parks shiver with snakes.
The sprawling parks and gardens of the chief minister's Kanke residence, Raj Bhavan and the ones before the chief secretary's house at Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar are bursting with seasonal flowers.
But, parks for the common man - or child - are uncommonly unkempt, most poignantly visible at Nigam Park, popularly called children's park, on Morabadi Road, opened in 2013 on a private-public mode, and closed seven months ago.
On Thursday, a Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) team inspected the Rs 15-lakh park on prime realty to assess how it could be revamped.
Controlled by the RMC, the park was run by a private firm, the city-based catering group Hot Lips. But, alleged vandalism by inmates of the nearby Ranchi University hostel and faulty drainage of the Administrative Training Institute (ATI) barely 200 metres away, together sounded the park's death-knell.
A Hot Lips official said they had bagged the tender to run the park but were forced to step back some seven months ago as local youths threatened to damage park property if not allowed entry after closing hours. "It was difficult to engage in any talks with them. They even refused to pay the nominal Rs 5 entry fee. Plus, eve-teasing was growing," he said.
Another serious problem is flooding. The Administrative Training Institute (ATI), barely 200 metres, has a drain which opens on park grounds. "Due to the constant flooding, poisonous snakes are frequently seen here," admitted an RMC official.
"You can see how beautifully the park was landscaped. But, signs of defacement are everywhere. Twice, unidentified people damaged the main gate. Its electric bulbs, plants, flowerpots, iron bars, fountain lights and nozzles were stolen. Wild bushes have cropped up everywhere," said an RMC employee Amrit Oraon.
"Though I open the park every morning, nobody comes here now," Oraon lamented.
RMC deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya said RMC's Bazar Samiti division and engineering section were responsible for 11 public parks, which were controlled by the civic body but run and maintained by private players.
Vijayvargiya stressed they would make all effort to restore the Children's Park to its former glory.
"We will do our best to control vandalism and eve-teasing. We will soon submit a proposal to Ranchi police for round-the-clock patrolling," he said.
RMC assistant engineer Suresh Kumar Thakur said: "Our team visited the park to assess the problems and the degree of renovation it requires."
Admitting that the park was waterlogged, RMC market supervisor Mani Gopal Raha said their engineers would work on it. "Once the drainage is set right, we will take steps to control the reptiles," Raha said.
"RMC field inspection are underway at all public parks under our domain. On February 19, an RMC board meeting is likely. Here, this matter will be discussed to finalise the detailed project report based on findings of all parks, including the Children's Park at Morabadi," the deputy mayor said.
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