State of amenities: Katra Moti Ram park cries for attention

Neeraj Bagga

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Amritsar, July 18

A park in Katra Moti Ram locality, situated in the walled city, is in pathetic state due to lack of daily maintenance and observation.

It is rare to spot green gardens in the walled city. These gardens are only in those localities which were developed by the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) after Independence.

Instead of taking care of these rare green pockets, residents and the authorities have been taking it casually. Spread over an area close to two kanals, people take their pets for a walk here. Heaps of plant and tree refuse can be seen at different places in the park. An uprooted tree lying in the park is a testimony to the fact that lifting litter and refuse is a tardy process.

Utkarsh, a resident of the area, said people throw domestic waste along the wall of the park. Though it is lifted regularly, the garbage disposed of at the same spot emnates stench. Proper cleaning and sprinkling of insecticides and pesticides in and around the park is required to keep it clean and make it a beautiful space.

Piyush Kapoor, another resident, pointed out drawbacks in the landscaping of the garden. He said the space for the green cover was extremely small. Instead, the area under concrete was more in the park. There is a footpath, a seating space under a canopy, an open air gym and a small shrine in the park.

Interestingly, the entrance to the park adorns several plaques announcing the names of different leaders. Obviously, it attracted the attention of all politicians, be it the Congress or the BJP.

When contacted, Sandeep Singh, Superintendent Engineer, Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC), said the landscaping of the park was done decades ago as it was an old green patch. He said garbage was lifted every day in the area. He went on to add that monitoring park’s maintenance was necessary to improve its green area.