Play and Park

Jai Prakash Narayan Udyan,the 85-year-old park has been recently reopened with add-ons like a skating rink.

Built in 1927,Jai Prakash Narayan Udyan near Pune railway station was in shambles and made a pathetic picture till few months back. The historical garden went through a rigorous makeover in the past one year and was reinaugurated on July 14. Today,the park boasts of a fountain,an open-theatre,pagodas and also walking tracks and witnesses a huge number of visitors of all age-groups every day.

The main attraction of the new look is the skating rink,which is very popular with the kids in the area. So much so that followed by its opening on Saturday,the garden saw a strength of almost 300 children on Sunday. “The skating rink is the first of its kind in the entire city and encourages children to interact and be physically active through roller skating, says Arvind Shinde,a PMC official who looks after the management of the park. He adds that a total amount of Rs 78 lakhs has been spent on the renovation.

Originally named Wilson Garden,the park was built by Sir Leslie Wilson,the then-Governor of Bombay and was later renamed by PMC as Jai Prakash Narayan Udyan.

The open theatre will be used by the various committees formed in the area for holding various functions and events. “We want the mohalla committees to have their meetings in the open theatre and also discuss important city-related issues such as garbage disposal. We are also ready to hold festivals like Diwali and Pujas along with cultural programmes which will be suggested by the ward officer of this area,” adds Shinde. All four gardens have the same timings 6 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.

The ward currently has four parks under its jurisdiction and Jai Prakash Udyan is the first one to get a makeover. The next on the list is Hazrat Siddiq Shah Baba Park,which will see the installation of a water screen and a musical fountain. “We have received the funds for each of the parks and we are looking forward to restructuring all of the gardens in and around the ward, adds Shinde.

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