Playground equipment at parks that are frequently visited by children and senior citizens in JPNagar are in a poor state due to inaction by BBMP.
Rahul Padman
Bengaluru,– 24th September 2019
Damaged due to wear and tear, the playground and gym equipment installed in Dhanvanthari Park were removed by the BBMP. But it has been a year since then and they have neither been repaired not replaced claim, the residents. A parent named Uma who is a resident of JP Nagar said “The Park is a nice place to encourage outdoor activities for children and the elderly. With most of the equipment damaged it becomes difficult to engage the children in play. “There are several items of gym equipment installed for the use of senior citizens which are broken and thus remain unused.
Other parks which are in a similar state of disrepair include the local park in JP Nagar Phase 1 Park, Narasimhachar Park, BBMP Park, and Step Hill Garden Park. A native of JP Nagar, Mr. Venugopal who was an ex-employee of Karnataka Power Corporation said “The damaged equipment was taken away by BBMP one year ago. We have complained and the BBMP says that the funds for repairs have been granted and it will be done soon but the situation is still the same. “
BBMP says that the plans to replace the equipment are in progress. BBMP executive Engineer South Mr.Mahantesh said the maintenance expense would be covered from the MLA fund of Ms. Sowmya Reddy. He also added that the public needs to realize that the equipment must be handled carefully. There are almost 425 parks in South Zone of Bengaluru and currently, 65 of them are under maintenance. BBMP added that this number keeps changing as more parks are repaired when funds are received, and more parks become damaged. “It is an ongoing process, “Mr. Mantesh said.
Commenting on the situation, Dr. Gowda, ex-Director of Town and Country Planning for BBMP said “BBMP is doing a good job in Bengaluru but citizens need to understand that they have a responsibility in using the public facilities with care as it belongs to them too. Many times, the public has no clue how to operate the machines installed for their use and they end up ruining them finally blaming the BBMP.”
Public facilities are an essential part of community living and outdoor activities help maintain a healthy lifestyle.
