Stinking pond turns into beautiful park in Alipur village

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 24

Around two months ago, 5,000-sq ft land in Alipur village, near here, was a major source of stink in its vicinity. Now, this pond has transformed into a beautiful park by utilising the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and panchayat funds.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Varinder Kumar Sharma had asked officers to ensure holistic development of villages by building parks on vacant government/village land. The DC directed the block development and panchayat officers (BDPOs) to develop such parks in villages under their jurisdiction.

Rs4.87 lakh spent on park, says ADC

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Amrit Singh said a total of Rs 4.87 lakh had been spent on the park from MNREGA funds whereas Rs 1.50 lakh was used from the panchayat funds to develop the park.

Amrit Singh said: “The park has everything. It has a well-built pathway for pedestrians, around 100 plants, including Ashoka and other traditional varieties of trees, besides rose shrubs to add to its beauty.

The ADC said grass transported from Ludhiana had been planted in the park. It also had benches for visitors.

BDPO Mahesh Kumar, who played a key role in completing the project, said the park had been completed in a record time of around one-and-a-half month.

Sarpanch of the village Usha Rani said the pond was creating a major nuisance in the village as its contaminated water used to enter houses of residents during the rainy season. It was also a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

She said the decision to construct the park, with the help of the state government, was taken as there was no park in the village.