CUTTACK: Chahata Poura Udyan, the park in Ward 8 of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), is wallowing in neglect due to apathy of the civic body.Without adequate maintenance, the park premises is full of wild growth and is littered with waste materials including empty liquor bottles. Besides, the damaged walking tracks and rusting iron gate and fencing atop the boundary wall are a testament to the park’s neglect at the hands of CMC.
The CMC had constructed the park to beautify the city and provide recreational facility to denizens. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on August 31, 2002. A few years later, the condition of the park started deteriorating due to lack of care.
After several years of neglect, CMC authorities decided to renovate it under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme in 2016. Accordingly, Rs 51.23 lakh was sanctioned to give the park a facelift and make it attractive. Tender was called in December last year and subsequently, work order issued.
However, though a year has passed, renovation work is yet to begin. The park, meanwhile, has become a safe haven for anti-socials and boozers. Despite several attempts, both the Deputy Commissioner and Chairperson of CMC Standing Committee on Parks and Plantation could not be reached for comments.
Of 36 parks in the Millennium City, most are in dire straits due to lack of maintenance. Overgrown bushes, broken chairs, defunct light systems and fountains as well as rusted swings and slides are a common sight in most of the parks.
Every year, CMC spends over `25 lakh towards maintenance of the parks. While officials claimed that the fund is not enough, Corporator Giribala Behera alleged that the money is being misappropriated.