RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Despite having 30 wards and a population of nearly 64,000, Mandapeta town is facing an acute shortage of well-maintained public parks, depriving residents of much-needed recreational spaces.
Though the municipality has a total of 35 parks, only three are being properly maintained, leaving the majority parks in a neglected and unusable condition.
Mandapeta is a prosperous town, but the poor maintenance of parks presents a bad picture of the civic body.
At present, Burugunta Cheruvu Park, Chandrababu Park and Vegulla Veerraju Park are the only green spaces attracting visitors. Most other parks are overgrown with weeds and bushes, lack basic facilities and have become unsafe, discouraging senior citizens, women and children from visiting, especially as many parks are located far from residential areas.
In Rajiv Gruhakalpa Colony, where over 100 families reside, the lone park has become hazardous with reports of snakes and dense overgrowth.
Children are afraid to even go near the park during evenings. Similar conditions prevail in Srinagar Colony, Srilakshmi Nagar, Bank Colony and Vijayalakshmi Nagar, where parks have turned defunct due to lack of maintenance by the civic body.
Several parks, including Ambedkar Park in the 11th ward, once had greenery, fountains, lighting and children’s play equipment. Today, these facilities are completely absent, with rusted equipment removed and open spaces left deserted.
Municipal Commissioner TV Rangarao told to TNIE that proposals worth `15 crore have been submitted to develop 32 non-functional parks in the town.
MuAdditionally, plans are underway to construct indoor stadiums in Srilakshmi Nagar and Krishna Kalyani Nagar at a cost of `1.5 crore. Residents hope these proposals translate into swift action to restore Mandapeta’s parks.