Most parks a picture of neglect
Getting hardly any push for development works since the Municipal Corporation House had got dissolved in January last year, parks here remain the victim of apathy.
Most parks in the city are being maintained by residents of societies as there is hardly any upkeep by the Municipal Corporation. Left to themselves, there is no pruning of trees or mowing of grass for years. The triangular-shaped park on Ajit Saini Marg is the best example. The park has huge dense bushes and gates remaining shut all the time and only the anti-social elements making into it by scaling the walls.
Most parks in posh colonies like Urban Estate, Model Town, Lajpat Nagar and Jawahar Nagar are well-maintained by resident welfare societies but those in the industrial area or near Sodal Temple have been left in a state of neglect. A park in the industrial area has almost all swings in a broken condition with no repair done for the past few years. Another one in Dada Nagar has the same story. The only facility in the name of parks in these colonies is some patches of green grass and shade of some trees along the boundaries.
Some clubs in the city too have been working to maintain the ‘lungs of the city’. Rajat Mahendru, an activist based at Krishna Nagar said, “The park near our locality was not properly maintained till the Rotary Club took it over. It has developed it planted several saplings. The process to hand it over to our mohalla society has started and we shall now soon take it over”.
Aruna Arora, ex-MC councillor, said, “There are seven parks in my ward and all of them are well-maintained. The MC contributes some fund but most of it is by the residents themselves who pay up Rs 300 per house.
The MC itself has no machinery for cutting or pruning. The societies have bought it all through own funds. Gardeners of the MC are all underpaid and it is the societies who are paying them the larger component of salaries. For the park on the back of gurdwara in Model Town, we are also collecting funds from morning walkers as its maintenance cost is very high.”
Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh said, “Having good clean parks will be a luxury for people in my constituency where residents in several localities are still struggling for the sewage connectivity, good roads and proper streetlights. The present government dispensation has changed 7-8 MC Commissioners in 2.5 years, most of whom were not happy to work in Jalandhar and hence the mess all around. A seriousness to ensure proper civic amenities remains a big miss in Jalandhar”.
