Jalandhar's Old Baradari park reclaimed by nature

Jalandhar, June 23

Calling it a park would be wrong. It would be more appropriate to call this place in the Old Baradari locality as a ‘wild growth enclosed in a boundary’. No one can dare enter this dangerous den as it appears to be infested with insects and mosquito, chameleons and other tiny reptiles.

Wild grass, shrubs and cannabis have grown here upto a height of two feet. Tall grasses have grown all around the swings, walking path and benches. Since the swings are no longer in use, they appear to be quite rusted.

There is a worn-out badminton net installed inside the park as children are learnt to have been using the place to play the game until the past two years ago. It was around that time that the condition of the park began to deteriorate, tell the residents around the area. No gardener has attended to the park since then.

The park falls in an area which was established by the PWD. But the PWD officials say that they no longer hold the responsibility of its civic maintenance as even the road repair is being done by the MC. “If the road work is done by the MC, even the parks should be maintained by the MC”, said PWD XEN Bhagwinder Singh Tuli. Horticulture incharge from MC Jagan Nath said, “There is no clarity on record as to who will maintain the parks of Old Baradari locality”.