THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lack of upkeep and timely maintenance have left many parks and recreational spaces in the district in a state of neglect for years. Visitors and children are often welcomed with overgrown grasses, dilapidated pathways and shabby amenities due to apathy on the part of the authorities.
When the Smart City project was launched in 2017, several parks in the state capital underwent massive development. However, with the Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) all set to wind up its operations by March end, ensuring the future upkeep and regular maintenance of these parks is becoming a major concern.
To tackle this, the city corporation has decided to rope in private agencies. The civic body has invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) to hire suitable agencies to ensure the responsibility of maintaining the parks developed spending crores under the Smart City Mission project.
Town planning standing committee chairperson C S Suja Devi told TNIE that the lack of regular maintenance has left almost every park in the jurisdiction in a state of mess. “This has been the case for many years. Due to the lack of timely maintenance, all these facilities become unusable and shabby, eventually leading to their closure. We want to break this cycle and hence, we have decided to rope in the private agencies,” said Suja.
According to her, four parks, including Putharikandam Maidan, Sree Chitra Park, and Captain Lakshmi Park near Kanakakunnu, along with Manaveeyam Veedhi, will be given to the private parties for their upkeep in the initial phase. The Putharikandam Maidan was developed by SCTL at a cost of Rs 9.54 crore, while Rs 1.82 crore was spent to develop Manaveeyam Veedhi. Nearly 2 crore was spent on developing Sree Chitra Park and Rs 1.93 crore was spent to renovate the Captain Lakshmi Park near Kanakakunnu.
Though three parties have already come forward with proposals, the civic body has decided not to commercialise the parks too much. “They will have to maintain the park without changing the present design. New constructions will not be allowed. We will be laying strict rules for the same. Moreover, these parties will have to generate revenue from advertising and they should do the same without disturbing the design and aesthetics of the place,” she said.
The civic body is also planning to invite Expression of Interest (EoI) for twelve more parks in the capital.