There are a number of parks in and around the city of Visakhapatnam. But one park stands out. It is the Walkers Park in Muralinagar. It is not for the greenery or the facilities that makes it stand out, but for the fact that it was initiated and still being maintained by senior citizens of the colony, and as per the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation’s (GVMC) record, the park is one among the few well-maintained parks in the city.
The park was initiated in 1995 by about 22 founding members and today has a strength of over 660 members.
The initiation was taken up under the Walkers Club movement and in the last 20 years we have sponsored over 28 new Walkers Clubs across the district, said R. Satyanadham, former president of the club.
Ever since, seniors of Muralinagar took up the development of the park, 70 other clubs in the city drew inspiration to develop such parks across the city, including eight in Muralinagar itself.
Permanent project
“The development of the park was not an easy task. The park area was earmarked by the GVMC, but it was a barren land filled with boulders and shrubs. We took up the landscaping and beautification in phases by accumulating funds from our personal contribution. We also contributed physical labour,” said former treasurer D. Sitaramam.
Apart from creating a well-landscaped park, the founders have created an all-weather concrete walking track.
It is one among the few parks in the city that has a permanent reading room with a well-stocked library.
“This was created to facilitate members to spend quality time for reading and discussing various issues and to inculcate the reading habit among youngsters,” said Mr. Satyanadham.
This apart, the Walkers Club organises a free Homeopathy medical camp for schoolchildren for administering doses against chicken pox in February and against dengue and viral fevers during September or October.
A free medical camp is also organised every month on the fourth Wednesday for the needy and senior citizens. Apart from regular check-up by qualified doctors, free medicines are also provided, said current president of the club N. Buthchaiah.
Catering to the needs of the children, the seniors organise various competitions such as elocution and patriotic songs on occasions such as Republic Day, Teachers Day and Independence Day.
“We also observe the World Laughter Day and World Elders Day,” said former secretary G. Gangayachari.
Apart from bagging a number of awards for environmental projects, the Vriksha Mitra Award and the Best Club award a number of times, the seniors spend considerable time in bringing out a regular news bulletin and a yearly telephone directory.
