Civic body plans to convert DAV pond into picnic spot

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 27

The Municipal Corporation (MC), Bathinda, is planning to convert the DAV pond spread over 11.78 acres into a picnic spot.

As per the plan, a track for jogging will be constructed around the pond. An open gym, along with a volleyball court, will come up in a corner of the park. Besides, the MC is planning to make a kids’ corner in which joy rides will be installed.

Apart from this, Sunday market will also be organised here so that people from Aggarwal Colony, Basant Vihar, Bhatti Road area, Chandsar Basti, Bibiwala Road area, Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar and other nearby areas can get the benefit of the park.

MC officials on Wednesday started desilting the pond and after cleaning it, the work on this project will start. Earlier on Saturday, the MC had removed encroachments on the pond and started constructing its boundary wall.

Beautification of the DAV pond is one of the dream projects of Finance Minister and Bathinda (Urban) MLA Manpreet Singh Badal. The civic body will spend around Rs 6 crore on this project.

The map of the project has already been prepared and as per MC officials, the Finance Minister had assured them of releasing funds soon for the project. The officials said as soon as they would get the funds, the work on the project would be initiated after floating a tender.

The General House of the MC has already given its nod to the proposal. But in the past, three different proposals for the DAV pond land were presented before the House. The work on them had failed to start due to lack of funds.

In 2011, the then Deputy Commissioner, Kamal Kishore Yadav, had proposed to give this land to the Bathinda Improvement Trust and construct a seven-storey flat along with a public park, a senior citizens’ home and a community hall. Even a 15-member committee was also constituted for the project, but it failed to take off.