The city’s most happening space has two more feathers to add to its glittering crown.
GHMC West Zone, defining ‘upmarket’ for the city by virtue of housing major IT establishments, is richer by two more parks. Both theme-based, the parks at Kondapur and Khajaguda were inaugurated by Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi on Thursday, along with Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration, Arvind Kumar and GHMC Commissioner M. Dana Kishore.
Shaped like a bone and opening to a canine sculpture, the ₹1.1-crore pet park at Kondapur is designed exclusively for dogs and their owners. A former dump yard, the 1.3-acre space has been designed with care to define fun for dogs as well as owners.
Best paw forward
The park, with an entry fee of ₹10 per pet, has been equipped with dog training equipment, fountain, amphitheatre, splash pools, and separate kennels for big and small dogs and even a clinic. It is certified by the Kennel Club of India and is one-of-its-kind in the country, said Mr. Joshi, revealing plans for one such park in the eastern part of the city.
Attractions for the orthopaedically-challenged pet owners is in the park’s disabled-friendly are ramp access, wide walking tracks to allow wheelchair, and menu in Braille at the cafeteria.
Park for kids
The second park, which was inaugurated at Journalists’ Colony of Khajaguda, has a ‘Panchatantra’ theme to attract schoolchildren. “The park has Panchatantra tales in text and audio-visual forms, besides regular play areas for the kids,” informed an official from GHMC.
Eight sculptures depicting various fables from the renowned collection have been installed in the 1.35-acre park, to ignite the imagination of the children while listening to the stories through audio. Eleven other tales are displayed in text format on story boards for the children to stop and read. The boards are, at present, in English, and will soon be set up in Telugu and Urdu too, officials informed.
Besides a play area for the kids with regular swings, slides and other equipment, the park also has three ‘story telling arenas’, where the teacher may don the role of ‘Vishnu Sharma’, the legendary teacher and narrator of ‘Panchatantra’ tales, and address students. Topical island, another space in the park, is adorned with various animal figures made of grass. For adults, there are gravel pathways, seating arrangements, and vertical gardens.
The Panchatantra park, costing ₹45 lakh, has been developed by a school under corporate social responsibility initiative, and no entry fee is being charged. Maintenance will be handled jointly by colony welfare association and the school, officials said.
