Bhubaneswar, Sept. 22: The local development authority plans to construct and renovate two parks - the Buddha Jayanti park and one at Sailashree Vihar - by spending Rs 33 lakh.
The park at Sailashree Vihar will be constructed by spending Rs 26 lakh, while the Buddha Jayanti park will be revamped for Rs 7 lakh. The renovation includes construction of a compound wall, paving tile platforms and a skating ring, while the construction includes development of a colony park.
"We have invited contractors to execute the work. Once the bidding is over, the renovation and construction of both the parks will be over in five to six months," said chief horticulturist of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority Ashokananda Dhar.
"We will develop a mainstream colony park at Sailashree Vihar with walking and jogging tracks, fountain, play corners for children and an open gym at Sailashree Vihar," said Dhar.
The BDA had in 2015 decided to develop about 50 parks across the city.
Sailashree Vihar only has four small parks maintained by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.
"The existing colony parks at Sailashree Vihar are too small to jog or even walk. I hope the BDA's park will be bigger in size and will serve the purpose of at least walking and jogging," said Sailashree Vihar resident Narayan Ojha.
The 44-acre Buddha Jayanti park at Chandrasekharpur, on the other hand, is one of the oldest parks of the city. "The park represents the culture of Buddhism and is a tourist attraction. It is well maintained, but still there are areas that need renovation. It is a welcome move to take up renovation here," said Chandrasekharpur resident Jayanti Maharana.
At present, the BDA maintains 57 mainstream and colony parks in the city while the corporation, along with various residents' welfare associations, maintains some 24 colony parks. "It is a welcome initiative by the administration to introduce more green spaces. It could serve multiple purposes, including recreation of citizens as well as ecological balance. It is a good example of sustainable development," said environmentalist Sailabala Padhi.
