56 parks set to get a makeover in Panchkula

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, January 10

The local Municipal Corporation has decided to initiate beautification of public parks with over 1-acre area to give them a new look and feel. Of the 276 parks that are under the jurisdiction of the MC, 56 parks will be redeveloped under the new plan. The revamp process will begin with parks in Sector 6 and 20.

Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal said MC officials had already been told make the design ready for the makeover of the parks. “These parks will be redeveloped on the lines of parks in European countries. The newly designed parks will have modern and human friendly facilities, water bodies, hard surface walking tracks, synthetic jogging tracks and badminton courts,” he said.

At one corner of the park, a playing area for kids and open-air gym would be developed, Goyal said, adding that residents would have an advantage to indulge themselves in sports and other recreational activities near their homes.

Lamp-posts and decoration lights would be installed along the walking track, he added.

Of the total parks in the MC area, 241 parks are managed by park development committees that include representatives of the residents’ welfare associations (RWAs).

Every year, the civic body pays around Rs3 crore to these committees for the maintenance of public parks.

In June last year, the MC, at its General House meeting, had increased the rates for park development societies.

While the rates for parks up to one acre were enhanced from Rs3 to Rs5 per square metre, for parks measuring over one acre, it was increased from Rs3 to Rs4 per square metre.