The Municipal Corporation is responsible for maintaining 146 parks in the “Textile City,” most of which are suffering from the lack of interest from the general public.
Having been constructed at the expense of crores of rupees, the majority of the parks are now either safe havens for anti-social groups or dumping areas. There are no gardeners to maintain the grass, plants, and trees, and the area is unclean. In many parks, jogging trails are in poor condition. Open gyms are being destroyed, and children’s swings are breaking.
During the last administration headed by the BJP, the MC invested millions of rupees to create these parks.
Even the upkeep of these parks is a contentious political matter since corruption in park development has been brought up by both the leaders of the governing party and the opposition. A BJP councilor brought up the subject of corruption in the building of a park in Krishanpura many times, and an investigation was even launched, but it was unsuccessful.
The park next to the railway line was created at a cost of Rs 1 crore, according to BJP lawmaker Ashok Chhabra, but it was never finished even though the MC had made payments for it. Although the matter was brought up, nothing has been done about it. The railway has turned the park into a shop by storing its products there, therefore the money that the MC invested is now squandered.
Similarly, Quila Park was created at an expense of Rs 2.32 crore, but due to improper upkeep, it is in appalling condition. There is a lot of overgrowth in the park, and many of the dustbins are damaged or missing. Fountains have not been in use for a very long time.
In addition, the state of Lodhi Park in the Tehsil Camp neighborhood is appalling. There is a sculpture of historical soldiers in the park, however it is in extremely bad shape. Even the everyday hikers’ designated route is damaged.
Social activist and advocate Mehul Jain said that under the previous BJP administration, parks and granite wall adornment had cost crores of rupees to build. However, the majority of the parks were laying empty since the MC had not been maintaining them adequately. “The only well-maintained parks are those that are looked after by resident welfare associations,” he said.
A comprehensive project study for the modernization and decoration of 144 parks has been developed, according to Pramod Vij, MLA for Panipat Urban. He said that a sum of Rs 25 crore had been granted for the city’s parks to be upgraded.