No upkeep, no facilities
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 14— The Bougainvillaea Garden in Sector 3 presents a picture of neglect for want of proper upkeep and facilities for visitors.

The garden, spread over an area measuring about 20 acres, boasts of having lush green lawns and more that 60 varieties of bougainvillaea, known for its colourful and magnificent flower and foliage, particularly during peak summer when hardly any flower registers its presence.

But what turns a visitor off is lack of maintenance of the parking lot, paths and a road meandering through it and lack facilities for people visiting the garden, particularly during morning hours. The entry from the the Punjab civil secretariat side in itself is an ample proof of lack of upkeep of the place by the authorities concerned.

The first thing to be noticed by any visitor is growth of wild grass in the parking lot and along the boundary wall of the place, where one can also see heaps of trash lying near the boundary wall. Going a bit further, one could see a profusely leaking irrigation water pipe. The constant flow of water has resulted in growth of wild grass around the entrance, causing inconvenience to the visitors.

Though entry into the garden can make one can relish different varieties of bougainvillaea in the garden, one is likely to be disgusted over the sight of missing covers of rain water gullies and growth of grass along the road berms, making these unsafe for pedestrians, particularly during early hours.

" Instead of the road, I prefer to walk on the concrete path as I fear that some insect from the grass can bite me," said Krishan Khanna, a resident of Sector 4 and a regular visitor to the place.

Another thing which is proving a deterrent for the maintenance staff, visitors and morning walkers is absence of facilities such as toilets and drinking water. " As there is no toilet inside the garden, about 40 of my colleagues are forced to defecate in the open in the nullah passing through the garden," confessed a gardener. He lamented that there was no provision of drinking water at the place.

Residents hesitate to visit the garden during early morning and in the evening for want of lighting arrangement. Moreover, there is no shady spot at the place in the absence of big trees and shelters creating problems for visitors during summer and during rainy days. A round of the place by the TNS revealed that the most unhygienic spot in the place was the nullah passing through the garden as it was full of wild growth, which could cause flooding of the place if not cleared by the authorities before the onset of monsoons.

On the other hand, the UT Engineering Department officials revealed that the department had already prepared a plan to set up toilets and a drinking water post at the place. " We have also chalked out a plan to provide lights at the place and to beautify the parking lot," said a senior officer of the department.