The Sirsa city authority has canceled the agencies’ allotment of 64 parks for maintenance

The Sirsa Municipal Council has canceled the contracts it had given private companies and several local agencies to manage the city parks. The Municipal Commissioner issued the order on March 7 in response to several complaints from locals.

The city of Sirsa has 84 parks in total. The Municipal Council has issued a call for proposals from social service providers and organizations in August 2023 about park upkeep. Applications had been received from around 45 agencies and organizations. The MC assigned the parks to agencies after examining them.

After the action, a few people complained to Kamal Gupta, the minister of urban local bodies at the time. According to the complainants, out of 84 parks, 64 had been given to MC leaders’ preferred agencies and organizations.

Every park has a maximum area of three acres. Each month, the Municipal Council contributes Rs 4.2 per square meter to the upkeep of the city’s parks. Organizations that have converted several large parks into places of worship have been encroaching on them over time.

The Municipal Council sent out notifications in this respect, but the organizations disregarded them. Regarding encroachments in its green belt, the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) has asked the government for a report.

Kamal Gupta had organised a cleanup initiative in Sirsa around three months beforehand. Some people complained about the state of the parks, the cleanliness, and the security throughout this journey. Additionally, local BJP officials said that city dwellers, not outside groups and organizations, should be in charge of maintaining the parks.

The executive officials of the Municipal Council have been directed by District Municipal Commissioner Surendra Singh to revoke the allotment of encroached parks. The letter said that concerns about park allotment had been received. As a result, the Municipal Council has to make sure that allotted parks are cancelled right away.

The parks in the city are disorganized. There are no dustbins, and the area is generally unclean. In addition to being hangouts for addicts, parks also disturb people because of stray animals.

According to sources, the administration received many letters about the matter. The Municipal Council’s executive officials have been accused of prejudice. According to several communications, the executive officials showed partiality while deciding which parks to donate to charitable groups.

The then-chief minister, the then-minister of urban local bodies, the director of the urban local bodies department, and the municipal commissioner received a complaint from Punita Rani, president of the Indian Human Rights Association, Sirsa. She said in her letter that two parks had been given to her organization. She said that the parks had been taken back from them without any previous warning by an executive official of the Municipal Council. She said that the executive officer had given preference in the selection of bigger parks.

In response to the accusations, Atar Singh, Executive Officer of the Sirsa Municipal Council, said that the statements lacked foundation. “There was impartiality in the distribution of parks.” The absence of administration in these parks has resulted in the revocation of the allocation order. They will shortly be redistributed using a new strategy.