On the first January day of 2016, the twin townships of Salt Lake and New Town witnessed a deluge of visitors. The old favourite Nicco Park and the new challenger Eco Tourism Park, both drew hordes of revellers on New Year’s Day. Here’s a comparison of the situations in the two destinations to which all the roads led.

Go east

Eco Tourism Park was a more popular destination. The 480-acre park broke its own record by selling 94,000 tickets this year. The 25-acre Nicco Park had about 16,000 visitors. 

Nicco Park, which opened in 1991,  has long been a favourite of kids. But this year even park staffers and vendors felt that the crowd was thinner than usual. “That we have time to speak to you itself is a miracle on New Year’s Day,” said Mintu Saha, manning a food stall inside the park. “Last year we didn’t have time to take even a minute’s break all afternoon.”

Eco Park, on the other hand, had such a rush that the Major Arterial Road outside remained jammed with cars through the day. The queues were serpentine at all the gates and additional security and parking arrangements had to be made. Lifeguards were posted at the waterfront and guards kept an eye on the crowd from two watchtowers inside the park.

 Shayanti Raha of Lake Town was in Nicco Park on January 1 and at Eco Park on December 25 and her verdict was clear. “Eco Park was way more crowded. They are constantly introducing rides that aren’t available anywhere else in the city. Nicco Park needs to pull up its  socks,” she said.

Ticket to ride 

At Eco Park, water zorbing and speed-boating were the top draws. Water zorbing had people bundled into an inflatable capsule chamber and rolled into the lake. 

“I loved zorbing! I have never done this before and it made my day. Even though I had to wait 30 minutes for my chance it was worth it,” said Partha Chakraborty, an IT professional from BE Block, Salt Lake.

Long queues were spotted near the park’s Gate 2 from where the speedboats were starting. Visitors also tried out the tandem cycles, the kayaks, the shikaras or simply walked about. 

At Nicco Park, the most popular rides were the Cyclone wooden roller-coaster and the water chute. Scores of youngsters, dressed in their winter best, stood patiently near the gate of the Cyclone. “This will be our third go on the ride,” beamed Neharika Agarwal, a resident of Lake Town, running to the end of the line with her friends. 

The 4D film Robin Hood also was a top draw. “We felt the wind rushing up our chairs as arrows were shot in the film. We even experienced a tingling effect whenever creepy crawlies were shown on screen,” said college student Ajay Halder.  

Food funda 

Eco Park served fish fry out of fresh fish caught from the lake. Also on offer was biriyani from a restaurant that has opened there. But the most popular dishes seemed to have come from home. “We brought luchi and alur dom from home and are enjoying our picnic to the hilt,” said Raju Ghosh, a businessman from New Town.

The park usually does not allow visitors to bring in food but the rule was relaxed on New Year’s Day. People also flocked to the stalls to have tea, coffee, momos and fried rice. 

Vendors at Nicco Park made a killing serving fried rice and chowmein. The food court, opposite the Tilt-A-Whirl ride, was packed all day. But many sacrificed lunch in order to gain time in the queues for rides. “The park is so crowded today that I don’t want to waste time on food. We just had instant noodles, at Rs 40 a plate, and rushed to the next ride,” smiled Anulekha Jain, a resident of Bangur Avenue.

Pocket pinch 

That the crowds flocked to one park over the other could have had something to do with the entry fees. The entry ticket to Eco Park is Rs 20 and that to Nicco Park Rs 200. 

“We came to Eco Park in a group of 20 but had to shell out only Rs 400 in entry fees,” said Bishaka Majumdar, a resident of New Town’s Action Area I. “Prices at the food stalls here begin at Rs 20 too. It’s very economical.”
Speed-boating costs 

Rs 50 per head, tandem cycling Rs 150 (plus a Rs 50 refundable deposit) and kayaking Rs 300 for two.
Nicco Park has 23 rides but the Rs 200 entry ticket makes 11 specific rides free thereafter. Other rides need to be paid for. The Cyclone, for instance, costs Rs 70.

Abhishek Bera, a resident of Salt Lake’s AE Block, was at Nicco Park on January 1 but he voted for Eco Park that he had visited in December. “I can pay Rs 20 and simply roam around Eco Park. Nicco Park is way more expensive. Plus it is getting monotonous. The authorities here need to introduce fun activities like at Eco Park.”
 

Which park do you prefer visiting — Nicco or Eco?
Write to The Telegraph Salt Lake, 6 Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta 700001 or email to saltlake@abpmail.com