BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Friday asked the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department to ready action plan for beautification and restoration of city parks in all urban local bodies (ULBs) in a time-bound manner and warned that civic officials failing to ensure proper maintenance of the public parks would face action.
Chairing a meeting on urban infrastructure across ULBs in the state, H&UD minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said that in his recent visit to Indira Gandhi (IG) Park in the city, he found gross mismanagement and expressed deep dissatisfaction over its condition.
“Similar issues persist in several urban parks,” the minister said and voiced concern over visible neglect, poor maintenance and deterioration of infrastructure of these public spaces. The parks are not merely recreational spaces but vital social, environmental and cultural assets that reflect the overall quality of urban governance and contribute significantly to citizens’ health and well-being, he said.
He also said that poor upkeep of statues of noted figures also amounts to disregard for public sentiment and cultural heritage. He ordered that statues of eminent personalities and historical figures installed in parks must be preserved with dignity and due respect.
Mahapatra called for initiatives to revamp parks in urban areas beyond Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and directed the department authorities to prepare a comprehensive, time-bound action plan for the beautification, modification and holistic improvement of parks across all ULBs of the state.
He warned that disciplinary action would be initiated against officials and agencies found responsible for substandard maintenance or dereliction of duty. Accountability would be fixed wherever shortcomings are identified. He directed the department officials to issue clear instructions to all ULBs, defining responsibilities, timelines and quality benchmarks for park rejuvenation.