BERHAMPUR: Parks are ideal facilities for people to meet with each other and unwind after a hard day’s at work. However, the Silk City has limited number of parks. Except for Gandhi and Nehru parks, maintained by Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC), and Biju Patnaik Park maintained by Berhampur Development Authority (BeDA), people of the city spend their time on embankments of ponds and a space near the railway station.
Several parks in the city, both big and small, in localities such as Gopabandhu Nagar, Ganesh Nagar, Baikuntha Nagar, Industrial Estate, Krishna Vihar, Nilakantha Nagar and Patitapaban Nagar are in a dilapidated condition. Last year, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had proposed to set up 114 smart parks at various places of the State, including areas under BeMC, Hinjili Municipality and 16 urban bodies of Ganjam district.
The smart parks, a part of the urban development programme of the State Government, are aimed at providing entertainment and avenues for leisure to the public apart from facilities like walking track, open gymnasium, space for yoga and meditation, children’s playground, drinking water and LED lighting.
They were supposed to be made functional within six months. However, work on the smart parks has not yet started in the district. Sources said urban local bodies, including BeMC, have not even identified land for the purpose. However, BeMC sources said efforts are on to identify land for setting up smart parks.