The children's play zone which was inaugurated by the then Mayor Vinod Chamoli at Gandhi Park about two months ago has remained closed for more than a month now. The regular opening of this facility developed at a cost of about Rs 1.5 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) has so far been hampered by different factors but now it is expected to be opened regularly with the start of this week.
A visitor to Gandhi Park, Akriti said, “We have never seen this area open. It has been closed for quite some time now even after it was formally inaugurated. As summer vacation has started my children always ask me to come here and see whether the children play zone is open. We have been coming here for three days in a row only to find the gate to the play zone closed,” she said.
Another visitor to the Gandhi Park said, “It is very difficult to convince children on Sunday’s. Being close to the park we come here but never saw the kid’s zone open. Therefore we have to take them to the Malsi Deer Park (Dehradun zoo) which is very far from the city and the entry there is also more expensive. Also, because of the distance, it occupies a large part of the day if we go there with the children."
Speaking about the matter, the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun assistant engineer and in charge of the children's play zone, Rachna Payal said, “The children's play area in the Gandhi Park was inaugurated about two months ago but at that time it had not been fully constructed. We opened the park for sometime after the completion of the construction but visitors started creating some nuisance and we also got complains of damages in the area. Due to a limited number of maintenance staff, we had closed down the area for some time."
Informing further on the subject she said, “We were looking for a private firm which could manage the staff as well as look after the proper functioning of the zone. The MCD has finally given the task to a company on Friday, and the park will reopen on Monday”
When asked about the entry fees and tickets for the games Payal said, “Proper charges have been decided by us. Ticket for the toy train will be Rs 40 and for other rides it will be Rs 30 apart from the entry to the zone which will also be paid. We have decided a figure of about Rs 7.68 lakh in a year which we expect to collect from the play zone."
Talking about the new changes in the park she highlighted the facilities which will be given to the visitors of the park. The zone has various mechanical devices like the toy train and many other games which need proper maintenance and proper team to look after.
Now the park will have a team of 10 people and also a caretaker to keep a proper check for ensuring the safety of children here. The zone will also have a cafeteria which will be managed by the private firm, she added.