Smart Parks: Saheed Nagar smart parks in ruins, wallow in neglect | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Residents of Saheed Nagar are deeply disappointed with the current state of the three smart parks, which are now lying in neglect in the absence of regular repair and maintenance by the civic authorities.
These parks — Robot Park, BDA-OMC Park and a community garden — which were developed under the ambitious Smart City mission, have fallen into disrepair due to lack of proper maintenance by the authorities, residents alleged.
The smart parks were among the first projects to be completed under the Smart City mission back in 2017-18. They were equipped with a range of modern amenities such as Wi-Fi, e-toilets, water ATMs, specially designed furniture, watch towers and child-friendly equipment.
However, many of these facilities have now been damaged or vandalised, rendering them unusable. Local residents have expressed their frustration and anger at the apathetic attitude of the civic authorities towards the maintenance of these parks.
“The authorities have failed to fulfil their responsibility of ensuring that these public spaces remain clean, safe and well-maintained for the benefit of the community. The situation is such that we fear entering the park now,” said Sasmit Mishra, a Saheed Nagar resident.
Residents have also complained that the parks remain closed most of the time, denying them access to the facilities. This has further added to their discontent, as they feel that the parks are not serving their intended purpose of providing a space for recreation and leisure.
The neglect of the smart parks has raised questions about the effectiveness of the Smart City mission itself. “The mission was launched with much fanfare and promised to transform urban areas into more liveable spaces but the reality looks different,” Sukanya Patra, another resident, said.
The residents said it is imperative that the civic authorities take immediate steps to address the concerns of the residents and restore the smart parks to their former glory. “We will enquire with the agency taking care of the parks and fix the issues soon,” mayor Sulochana Das said.
She said they intended to provide the best of urban life to the residents of Bhubaneswar and the amenities have been created keeping the objective in mind.
These parks — Robot Park, BDA-OMC Park and a community garden — which were developed under the ambitious Smart City mission, have fallen into disrepair due to lack of proper maintenance by the authorities, residents alleged.
The smart parks were among the first projects to be completed under the Smart City mission back in 2017-18. They were equipped with a range of modern amenities such as Wi-Fi, e-toilets, water ATMs, specially designed furniture, watch towers and child-friendly equipment.
However, many of these facilities have now been damaged or vandalised, rendering them unusable. Local residents have expressed their frustration and anger at the apathetic attitude of the civic authorities towards the maintenance of these parks.
“The authorities have failed to fulfil their responsibility of ensuring that these public spaces remain clean, safe and well-maintained for the benefit of the community. The situation is such that we fear entering the park now,” said Sasmit Mishra, a Saheed Nagar resident.
Residents have also complained that the parks remain closed most of the time, denying them access to the facilities. This has further added to their discontent, as they feel that the parks are not serving their intended purpose of providing a space for recreation and leisure.
The neglect of the smart parks has raised questions about the effectiveness of the Smart City mission itself. “The mission was launched with much fanfare and promised to transform urban areas into more liveable spaces but the reality looks different,” Sukanya Patra, another resident, said.
The residents said it is imperative that the civic authorities take immediate steps to address the concerns of the residents and restore the smart parks to their former glory. “We will enquire with the agency taking care of the parks and fix the issues soon,” mayor Sulochana Das said.
She said they intended to provide the best of urban life to the residents of Bhubaneswar and the amenities have been created keeping the objective in mind.
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