The closed gate of the park and (right) solid wastes dumped inside. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, March 2: A park in the bylanes of Shahid Nagar has been lying neglected for years as the government has turned a deaf ear to its demand for improvement.

Developed in the 70s by the general administration department, the park has lost its barbed wire fence to thieves. With no security around the park, it has turned into a favourite haunt for drug addicts and criminals. The place is also covered with undergrowth, which makes it look ugly.

Local residents have been demanding cleaning up of the place and a proper fence around it to keep stray animals out. They have also objected to the indiscriminate dumping of garbage in the area. They also want facilities such as jogging tracks to be developed in the park.

“Although the civic authorities claim that the garbage dump is a temporary thing and assure that it would be lifted for dumping at a designated site in the outskirts of the city, often we find piles of refuse lying at the place for days together,” said Bijay Mishra, a social worker.

Umanath Mishra, local councillor of ward No. 22, however, claimed that the garbage near the park was being cleaned everyday. “We have two tractors to lift the waste and there are 12 temporary lifting points like this inside the ward,” he said.

Regarding the development of the park, the councillor added: “Although the land belongs to the general administration department, local residents have approached the BMC authorities regarding its renovation work in the past. Also, members of the Orissa Taekwondo Federation (OTF) are using the area for practice. They are also looking after the place. The members also organise special events on Republic Day and Independence Day with the cooperation of the local residents.”

Another local resident said: “There was a time when the park had a proper fence, gates and quarters for the gardener. But after the gardener’s death the place went in bad shape. The civic authorities, in consultation with the general administration department, should take up the issue immediately and try to restore the park’s old glory.”

Nandakishore Pal, assistant engineer of BMC, who is in-charge of parks in the city, said the all parks in the city will now be developed in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

“In the PPP mode, local resident welfare associations are requested to pitch in with the contribution of 10 per cent of the development cost of the proposed parks. So, if the local residents come forward, we can think of its development,” he added.

Biswajit Mohanty, secretary, Orissa Taekwondo Federation, said: “The area was fast becoming a den for drug addicts. We have taken care of the area so that such elements remain at bay and encroachers too do not get a foothold. We are now motivating the local residents and with a unified effort we shall try to renovate it. The BMC officials had said the renovation will cost around Rs 20 lakh with the residents supposed to contribute around Rs 2 lakh.” He added that a final decision on local participation would be taken at a meeting on Sunday.