The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Poor maintenance at Indira Park rattles morning walkers

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Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Poor maintenance at Indira Park rattles morning walkers

Swathi.V

— Photo: Nagara Gopal

Apathetic: The poorly maintained pond showcases the negligence of the authorities concerned.

HYDERABAD: Morning walkers at Indira Park witnessed an unusual sight very recently. The pond meant for boating inside the park had dozens of dead fish floating about in the mossy water surface.

“The fish were removed and piled up on the edge of the pond. It was a pitiable sight,” laments S. Rajagopal Goud, a retired teaching professional who frequents the park.

Certainly the boating pond is no Miralam Tank and no alarm was caused about fish dying in there. Even now, a careful observer can spot an occasional carcass of fish floating about, hardly visible in the filthy water.

The pond receives water from Hussain Sagar surplus canal and channels it into the Musi River.

“Of late, the pond and all the feeders into it have become extremely filthy due to stagnation. The stench emanating thereof is causing great inconvenience,” says Mr. Goud, one among the 1,000-plus walkers in the park.

Reason for the stagnation could be reduced inflows from the lake. Existing water is kept unreleased for a long time to facilitate boating. Excessive growth of weed and algae coupled with rubbish thrown into the pond by visitors has made the water non-conducive to living organisms.

“They should have stopped boating for a while till the inflows are restored. The smell is getting unbearable by the day,” complains Mr. Goud.

The stinking pond is just one among a plethora of complaints about the lack of maintenance inside the 76-acre park. Drying lawns and defunct lamps encounter the visitors everywhere. The musical fountain installed about 15 years ago has not been functioning for quite some time.

Prakriti Bhava, the Living Rock Sanctuary, where natural rock formations in various shapes are kept for visitors’ appreciation, is neglected too.

The sanctuary was voluntarily developed in 2002 by Subrata Basu, the then Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise, who scoured the city for a year to find natural rock formations of distinct shapes.

Each of the 50 rocks had provisions of illumination so that the features could be highlighted. However, majority of the lights are not functioning now while quite a few pedestals holding the rocks are either chipping or crumbling.

“The park has quite a few maintenance problems. Dry leaves are burnt inside the park and garbage is never removed as it accumulates. Though spread over considerable area and hosting a variety of flora and fauna, the maintenance here pales when compared to other parks in the city,” complains Narasimha Reddy, another walker.

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