Bhubaneswar, Aug. 14: Prabhat Thakur and his wife take their six-year-old son Aadhar to the theatre or visit the homes of relatives on weekends.
"The world is changing. These days, kids are busy watching cartoons or playing video games on their parents' mobile phones, which is completely different than the upbringing children had a few years ago. This leads to them becoming passive. They need some physical exercise or interaction with people," Prabhat, a resident of VSS Nagar, said.
Rasmita Sahoo, a homemaker, echoed the Thakur's sentiments. She said children needed facilities such as a park where they could meet kids their own age.
"Playing is an essential part of a child's upbringing. It keeps them active and fit. I remember when we were children, we didn't have the distractions that kids have today. We played outside instead of sitting at home, flicking channels on the television or playing games on mobiles," the Niladri Vihar resident said. Sahoo believes parks are essential to keep children active. Thakur also agreed with her.
At present, the city has only one children's park located at Unit-II. The civic body developed an abandoned space in the locality into the park, naming it Sishu Udyan. The Telegraph had, in the past, reported about the plight of the space at Unit II following which, the civic body undertook its development.
Now, the civic body has finally woken up to the long-standing demand of residents about the lack of recreational space in the city and plans to develop two new parks in the near future. The two proposed parks will come up at Patia and VSS Nagar and at present, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation is in the process of taking possession of land for the projects.
As part of the proposal, the civic body has asked Odisha State Housing Board to hand over 3 acres of land that it owns for the project at VSS Nagar. The general administration department is the present owner of the 6-acre land at Patia, where the municipal corporation plans to develop the other park. The park that will come up at Patia will be named Sishu Vihar, while the one at VSS Nagar will simply be called Children's Park.
A civic body official said citizens of VSS Nagar had been demanding the development of a children's park in the area for a long time. According to local residents, there were no spaces for recreational purposes in the vicinity and a park would go a long way in addressing that issue.
"After deliberating for a long time, we have decided to consider the demands of the citizens and develop a children's park at VSS Nagar. The park at Patia was our own idea," the official said.
Earlier, during sessions on the smart city challenge last year, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had got a number of suggestions to develop dedicated infrastructure for children, including parks.
"It is a welcome move from the civic body to have such facilities for children. The city has got the smart city tag and it should take care of the needs of all age groups," said Kalpana Dash, a private school teacher.
Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said they were committed to serve the needs of citizens of all ages. "There are a number of initiatives under the smart city project, which will cater to the needs of all categories of people. Leisure spots are one such component. The upcoming parks will be dedicated to the children of our city," Jena said.
Sources said that once the civic body acquired the land, it would take nearly a year and a half to complete the projects. "We will prepare detailed project reports and ask the government to sanction funds required for the project. The whole process would take nearly eighteen months after the final initiation," said a civic official.
