Sector V got a gift of two new parks this monsoon. Minister Firhad Hakim inaugurated the parks located at EN-23 and DN6.
“There are quite a few parks in Salt Lake and Rajarhat. But now we have a couple of them in the heart of Sector V,” said Hakim.
“Sector V is full of office blocks. We need more greenery amidst this concrete jungle. There are a lot of restaurants and food parks as well. What was missing was a bit of open space where people could sit and relax over a cup of tea. That is why we decided to develop these open spaces as parks,” said Debashis Sen, the chairman of New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA). Bidhannagar mayor Sabyasachi Dutta and MLA Sujit Bose were also present at the inauguration.
Both parks are ready to receive visitors. The one at EN 23 is near College More. Heading from College More, it can be reached by turning right from Webel More and then taking a right turn after crossing Bakstage restaurant. The park would be to the left.
It is nestled amidst highrises and has a rectangular patch of green lined with a walking track done up with paver blocks. The track is lined on both sides with knee-length shrubs. Palm trees have been planted at each corner. In the small patches of green on the outer periphery, there are benches at intervals to sit on. A few tea stalls are expected to come up soon. The park is illuminated with LED lamps, so can be used in the evening too.
The park at DN 6 is smaller in size. It can be reached by turning left from College More if one is headed from Wipro. The park could serve as a good place for adda after college or office.
Most office-goers, like Nitish Prasad, welcome the opening of the parks. Prasad is an IT employee who has recently been transferred from Chennai to Calcutta, and is happy to have access to green public space near his office. “The IT hub in Chennai is lined with restaurants and pubs. In Calcutta, things are a little quieter. Parks are always welcome. It allows people to sit and chat free of cost. So can those of us taking a break from work,” he said.
But some are wary that it might affect work culture in an office district. Ranjan Desai, a techie, is one such worried man. “I am the team leader at a call centre in College More. My juniors excuse themselves for a tea break every two or three hours. If they get to know of a park in the neighbourhood, I think the 10-minute break could well increase to 30 minutes,” he said.
Others believe that there are greater concerns in Sector V that authorities need to attend to. Security of women after dark, truant autos and quarrelsome rickshaw-drivers who are quick to pick up fights are bigger concerns. They believe the authorities should look into these issues as well. “Beautification and parks aren’t the teething problems here as potholed roads, dirty footpaths and water-logging in monsoon are,” was a common opinion that office-goers voiced to The Telegraph Salt Lake.
Said Debabrata Maiti, an MBA student who attends a college near SDF Building: “We need better roads in Sector V. Parks can wait. The streets are quite narrow here and we have to navigate our way through cars parked on both sides of the road. Now that monsoon has arrived, the condition of roads is worse. However, it is nice to see a little open space among all this congestion,” he said.
Forest week celebration
In its silver jubilee year, Bidhannagar Horticultural Society will celebrate Forest Week with a rally and free distribution of plants.
Schoolchildren will lead the “Walk for the greens” rally on July 15. It will start from the Netaji statue at 8am and head to the BC Block community centre, where saplings of fruit and flowering trees will be distributed free of cost from 9am among visitors.
