Shivaji Park plan miffs all

According to citizens’ groups, the plan proposes to widen the three existing gates and build three additional ones at the cost of the 25-acre park’s highlight — a two-foot-high parapet wall round its perimeter.

“This low wall is used by elderly citizens and other users of the park to rest,” said Ashok Rawat, general secretary of the Walker’s Ecological Movement (WECOM). He added that the wall also provided easy access to the park.

“We didn’t object when the BMC first showed the plan in February as some of the gates were not indicated. But we protested when they began breaking the parapet in March to widen the existing gates and constructing additional gates,” he said, adding that the three gates were sufficient and the addition of five more was a complete waste of public funds.

Rawat added that the organisation was opposed to holding parades and bringing vehicles onto the ground which would destroy its identity as a playground.

However, the BMC strongly denied all this. “There is no change in the number of gates in the park. All we are doing is replacing the old ones, beautifying them and adding to the charm of the park,” an engineer told Express Newsline.

Allaying residents’ fears that the ground would be used as a car park, he emphasised that the gates would be opened only during political rallies and parades.

The ground is mainly used for police parades on Republic Day, May 1 and Independence Day, for political rallies and the Ganesh Chaturthi immersion.

“Each gate will be widened at the cost of three feet of the existing wall. The damaged portion of the wall will be repaired once the gates are completed,” said the engineer who did not wish to be named.

The BMC’s proposal consists of constructing five ornamental gates with two lighting towers on each side, a cement concrete block pathway and the installation of a sprinkler system for the lawns on the park.

The corporation was allotted Rs 60 lakh for the project under the District Planning Development Council (DPDC) late last year and work orders were issued to a civil firm last December. While the jogging track around the park is complete, the main job on the gates is on and all the work is expected to be finished by next month.