A senior bank executive took out his kids to a park near Kanke Road in Ranchi planning to spend some quality time with them. The family had barely spent a few minutes at the park when the father saw his seven-year-old son watching a scene behind the bushes that he would have never imagined.
A young couple was doing in the open what should be done in the most private place. The man, anxious with the questions of his kids, has vowed not to take them to a city park ever.
The recreational parks in Ranchi, especially those covered with walled fences, are quickly turning into favourite haunts of 'lovebirds' looking for a secluded corner to indulge in activities that are absolutely unwelcome for the society.
Members of a political outfit protesting outside the Governor's House caught a couple red-handed indulging in objectionable acts in the nearby Zakir Hussain Park on Wednesday.
According to eyewitnesses, those two were half-naked, when caught. Additionally, the girl confessed that she came to the park in exchange of some money, said sources.
Something of this sort happening right in front of the heart of the State's constitutional powers raises a question that where were the authorities responsible to check such acts. The police had a reason to cite.
"Whenever we conduct raids in parks to catch couple indulging in indecent activities, we have to face arguments that police is interfering with the personal lives of citizens. Due to such resistance, we have to often neglect what is going behind the walls of parks," stated Mahila Thana OC Deepika Prasad.
Traditionally, walls around recreational parks in the city were made of brick and concrete and high enough to hide those inside the boundary. This arrangement might provide privacy to the visitors, but there are some with only the intention to misuse this seclusion.
"Parks with brick walls have become unfit for families to visit, due to embarrassing situations that we have to come across there. We have Tagore Hill at a stone's throw from our residence, but we have to think twice before going there with our children, due to the atmosphere we find there. Only if the parks were not so secluded, couples will refrain from such shameless exhibition of emotions," said Pankaj Kumar, a resident of Divyanjali apartment near Tagore Hill.
The concept of see-through parks seems to be working quite well for Ram Dayal Munda Park, one of the see-through parks made by Ranchi Municipal Corporation back in 2013. Students of close-by Ranchi College can be seen going through notes in the park during day time and families and kids visit the park in the evenings, all without coming across any embarrassing scenes.
However, RMC officials do not concur with the notion that only making parks see-through will be enough to curb the obscenities which unfold there.
"There are shrubs and several other structures in the park behind which couples can hide even if we make them see-through. Only making them see-through will not be enough," said newly-appointed Additional Municipal Commissioner Ram lakhan Gupta.
"Even if we replace walls with see-through grills in all the parks of the city, will it be enough to change the character of those visiting them. Such problems can only be curbed if people change their way of thinking," said Urban Development Minister CP Singh.
Yet, urban authorities are still deliberating over whether see-through parks can be a solution to this problem.