THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Painting a dismal picture, the children’s park at Pandits’ Colony, Kuravankonam, continues its wait for redemption which has crossed two years. The park, sponsored by Shashi Tharoor MP from the MPLADS (local area development scheme) during his previous tenure in the year 2009-10, has been lying in a dangerous state with a part of the park’s compound wall caved into the adjacent pond that lies weed-infested now. The park, overgrown with ferns, has a few colourful concrete benches inside and the wall painted in multiple colours holds an arch erected atop the entrance gate hinting at least what exactly the place means to be. The work, undertaken by the district division of Nirmithi Kendra, stopped when the compound wall came down. “The condition of the park is so hazardous that we residents knocked at the door of the authorities several times in vain. What we have learnt is that the contractor who took up the task left it in midway. Drying up the pond was all that the Water Authority could do so far,” said R Vijayan, secretary of Meloorkonam Pandits’ Colony Residents’ Association.
Instability of the rock bed of the pond on the adjoining part of the park has led to the compound wall collapsing. According to sources, the proposal was to erect the compound wall of the park by digging two feet deep down the earth surface, fortify the foundation and then construct the brick wall above it and fix a grilled structure on top.
Instead of doing all these, the compound wall came up exactly above the frail retaining wall of the pond, resulting in the present situation. There is also an allegation that other than filling sea sand in 45 cm thickness inside the park, some low quality sand was spread.
As per official version of Nirmithi Kendra, it is ready to carry out the task of improving the park, but waiting for the Irrigation Department to take up the works related to the pond. “It is learnt that the department has initiated the tender renewal process to renovate and fortify the side wall of the pond. We are ready any moment to proceed with our works and finish it with the allotted sum of Rs 10 lakh in a time-bound manner, maybe in just a week’s time,” said Sanal Kumar, project manager of district Nirmithi Kendra.
