A compound wall, a few trees and a building in one corner are all that remain in the park in Pithapuram VUDA Colony, which was developed about three-and-a-half decades ago.
“The play equipment and the cement benches have disappeared and the park, if it can be called that way, remains closed all through the year except on Independence Day and Republic Day,” says A. Bhagavanulu, a resident, who has lodged complaints with the GVMC and VUDA authorities.
The colony residents formed the ‘Pithapuram VUDA Colony Residents Welfare Society’ in 1993. “One of the society presidents started destroying the park and the colony. About a decade ago, the then president P. Jagannadha Rao, a retired judge, brought some funds and constructed some benches and installed play equipment for children. He had even got a building constructed so that it could be given on rent and the amount used for maintenance of the park,” says Prof. Bhagavanulu, who is also president of the Uttarandhra Rashtriya Samithi (URS).
A resident Vijay Kumar started picking up quarrels with the public and subsequently the gates of the park remained locked for years. The play equipment and the cement benches disappeared and trees were chopped off. “When I questioned Vijay Kumar, he filed a harassment case against me but the false case was struck down in court. The park, however, remains locked all through the year,” he says.
“The municipal corporation authorities should reconstruct the park for the benefit of senior citizens, children and youth,” adds Prof. Bhagavanulu.