Bhubaneswar: Morning walkers at Indira Gandhi Park here have reached out to chief minister Naveen Patnaik, expressing displeasure at the infrastructure available.

The group has submitted a petition to the chief minister where they mentioned that the park pathway was not fit for walkers.

Bibhuti Bhusan Paty of Unit-IX submitted the grievance on behalf of the regular morning walkers in the park. He said the existing 850m pathway was patchy, unsteady and spasmodic with protruding chips, thereby making it dangerous for walkers, especially the senior citizens.

"Doctors say walking on concrete floor has adverse effects such as lumbar strain, which affects the lower back, stress fracture, fatigue, bunion and so on. Concrete pathways are not health friendly," Paty said.

He stated in his grievance that the toilets inside the park were in a pitiable state with broken taps and clogged water. "Lack of privacy and dirty bathrooms make the toilets unusable for us. It forces the users to urinate and defecate in the open that is highly undesirable and is a matter of great concern," stated Paty.

The Bhubaneswar Development Authority is the custodian of the park located just in front of the secretariat. Hundreds of citizens from the surrounding areas use it for morning walks and leisure during the evenings. "It is a big park and needs regular maintenance," said Asish Jena, a regular visitor to the park.

The development authority's chief horticulturist A.N. Dhar said they would look into the matter. "We have got the grievance and will take action to resolve the issues. We will direct the park caretaker to check on the issues and submit a report before taking up the repair work. The toilets will be maintained," he said.