Broken swings, damaged footpaths: Poor upkeep of parks angers locals in Faridabad

Parks developed by the civic agencies have become a victim of neglect and degradation due to issues such as staff shortage, poor infrastructure and lack of financial support. The town parks operated by the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) are in a shambles due to poor maintenance and repair work.

Despite numerous complaints, the authorities were yet to come up with a comprehensive drive to address the issues. “Heaps of garbage, broken swings, damaged footpaths, grazing by cattle, misuse of the public utilities and encroachment have become common at such spots, including the town parks in Sector 31 ,’’ said Ankur Sharan, a resident. He added that while there is hardly any staff present, the park presents a picture of utter neglect due to degraded facilities. “The kids playground area, which used to come alive a few years ago, is in a state of neglect. Swings that got broken two years back have not been repaired to date,’’ he said.

Varun Sheokand, a resident, said the condition of the Town Park in Sector 12, which is perhaps the largest such facility in the city, has lost its charm due lack of cleanliness and poor upkeep of flowers. It is claimed that the concept of Public-Private Partnership adopted for the maintenance of the park has failed to deliver as an industrial association given the task in 2017 abandoned it in view of non clearance of the dues in 2021. The park is spread over 40 acres of land.

Claiming that the majority of the parks and green belts maintained by the civic agencies are faced with acute shortage of staff and budget, an official, on the condition of anonymity, said a comprehensive strategy to ensure the upkeep had been missing, despite the city having three functional agencies — the Municipal Corporation, HSVP and the FMDA. The MC has only 130 posts of gardeners against the sanctioned 484 posts, according to sources.

While over 300 parks have been handed over to the Residents Welfare Associations for maintenance have remained affected adversely in view of the problems related to release of the funds. No recruitment has been made in its horticulture section in the past 15 years. Though an amount of Rs 30 to 35 lakh is spent each year by the HSVP on the town parks, the infrastructure and the budget has failed to match the requirement, it is revealed.

Sandeep Dahiya, Superintending Engineer, HSVP, said efforts were on to ensure proper maintenance of the parks in the city. He said a renovation plan was likely to be taken up soon.