Lumbini Park turns into no-man's land

VISAKHAPATNAM: Located in between the beach and the picturesque Kailasagiri hills, Lumbini Park, one of the first-generation public parks in the port city, has now turned into a no-man's land. Spread across an area of 3.52 acres, the park was inaugurated by Rajana Ramani, former mayor of Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (now Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation) on June 6, 2001. in the presence of former Lok Sabha MP MVVS Murthy, former Rajya Sabha MP Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, and then Vizag-II MLA Pinninti Varalakshmi. The 1992-IAS batch officer Sanjay Jaju was then commissioner of the corporation.In the first few years after inauguration, Lumbini park was active and attracted a lot of people. However, apathy of the subsequent ruling body of the corporation and officials led to poor maintenance of the park. This apart, cyclone Hudhud also caused immense damage to the park in October 2014.GVMC planned to redevelop the park for the International Fleet Review (IFR) that was held in February this year, but could not able to do so.When TOI inspected the park on Monday, the plants had withered away, statues were disfigured, rooms were in a dilapidated condition and there was no seating for the public. The main entrance gate and compound walls were also damaged. A few people were seen defecating in the park, while some fisherfolk were busy preparing their nets as security guard P Penta Rao kept watch. Nanduri Ramakrishna, president, MVP Colony 12 Sectors Residents Welfare Association, said people who participated in the inauguration time of the park are still available in the city, but are not interested in developing the park. "Due to the civic body's apathy, the historic park has turned into a place for anti-social activities. Some people gamble, some others consume alcohol, while the youth prefer the idle place for philandering. The GVMC should immediately redevelop the park," Ramakrishna said.Software employee Krishna Mohan, a resident of Sector-III of MVP Colony, said, "Better to develop the existing park instead of focussing on identifying new areas for parks or tourist places. Mere development will not do, the corporation should regularly maintain the park," Mohan said. According to GVMC officials, the corporation in association with AP Urban Green and Beautification Corporation Ltd has proposed to redevelop the park at an estimated cost of about Rs 1.07 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) in the 2015-16 fiscal. A sum of Rs 7 lakh is also being spent to prepare a detailed project report (DRP). Some of the features of the DPR include a Buddha statue on the lines of the one at Vuda's Health Arena at the foothill of Kailasagiri, an interactivity space, a still water lotus pond, a children's play area, an entrance plaza, a canteen and walking tracks.