Park gets fence in a year of 'revamp'

KOLKATA: The high iron fencing around Jatin Das Park with the huge iron gate that reminds one of Raj Bhavan makes it look all important and special. But one look at the interiors and the idea falls on its face. The entire park is in a shambles with garbage littered all over.
For over a year now, the once-frequented park has remained out of bounds for common people.That's because Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has been working on beautifying it. But the work that began in October last year has hardly progressed beyond the gate and wall.
Within months of taking over the reins of KMC in June 2010, the Trinamool Congress board had brought the 1.5-bigha Jatin Das Park on Hazra crossing under a special beautification package. The start of work had raised the hopes of those who frequent the park, as on the cards were a pathway around the playground for morning and evening walkers as well as benches for visitors and a fountain in the middle.
But they had no idea that they would be prohibited from entering the park for a good 13 months and yet, practically nothing would be done to it. Take a look inside and you will find no element of the beautification plan has been executed yet. All the contractor KMC hired has done is to transport a few truckloads of garbage.
Sources in the KMC parks department conceded that more than Rs 15 lakh has been spent on installing the gate and designer fencing. "We have hardly any funds left to carry forward beautification work inside," said a KMC official.
The result has been obvious. The KMC has locked the main entrance. "We used to frequent the park in the afternoon. Jatin Das Park really needed renovation and we were happy when it started. But, this kind of 'beautification package' is of no use to us," fumed Sadhan Bose, a retired government engineer and resident of Hazra Road.
Partha Mukherjee, Bose's neighbour and a teacher by profession, felt that government funds have been misused in the name of beautification. "What is the use of constructing a huge, decorative gate and designer railings for Jatin Das Park when there are no funds for renovation of the interiors. When will common people like us be allowed to reenter the park?" he demanded.
Mukherjee, however, felt that removing the pay-and-use toilet at the Hazra Road-SP Mukherjee Road crossing was a right step taken by the KMC parks department. Debasis Kumar, KMC's member, mayor-in-council (parks), however, assured that funds won't be a hurdle to complete beautification work.
"We have undertaken beautification work inside the park which will be completed in six months," Kumar claimed. However, he could not explain how a park in a prime location could remain closed to visitors for more than a year.