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KMC to revive three major parks in capital

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For the Kathmanduites, green and well-maintained parks where families can spend quality time together on holidays have always been a distant dream.

It is not that there aren´t parks in the capital at all. The city boasts of spacious parks like Ratna Park, Balaju Park and Sankha Park. But, those parks and others are in a sorry state.

Families prefer not to visit the parks as they are usually littered with wastes and have turned into hangouts for drifters. Most of the parks in the capital lack basic facilities like toilets and water taps. Even those that have toilets such facilities have been left to fall apart in want of upkeep.

Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of Environment Management Division at Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), admits that parks in the city have failed to attract visitors. Today, only people who are jobless tend to loiter in and around the parks in Kathmandu.

But these parks may soon get a new lease of life as the KMC is planning to renovate all major parks in the valley. "The plans will be implemented soon,” said Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of Environment Management Division (KMC).

According to Shrestha, lack of budget and focus on road expansion drive has led to the delay in the renovation of parks. “But, we will soon start beautifying the parks," he said. "We will begin the work from the Balaju Park. Then, move on to improve Ratna Park and Shankha Park."


Balaju Park
KMC has decided to construct a swimming pool inside the Balaju Park. Visitors will be able to enjoy the swimming pool facility by mid-March. The parks said an extra fee would be charged for swimming.

According to Shyam Pandey, chief of Balaju Park, the KMC has allocated Rs 2.3 million for renovating works, which includes repairing the boundary walls and cleaning of ponds.

The park, built on a 153 ropanis of land in 1965, currently employs 41 people. It is the only park that charges entry fees from visitors. More than 1,000 people visit Balaju Park every day. On weekends and holidays, the number of visitors reaches up to 1500.

The Balaju Park will also have a picnic spot under the new plan. “As many school children visit the park for picnicking, we felt the need to develop picnic spots,” says Pandey.


Ratna Park
The renovation works of Ratna Park is already afoot with the construction of a wall on the southern side. It will be followed by plantation of trees and flowers, mending fountains, cleaning of ponds and underground water tank, maintenance of benches and construction of footpath along the parks northern border.

Ratna Park is one of the oldest parks of the capital and is located at the heart of the city. Built in 1965, this park is spread over an area of 42 ropanis land.

“It takes a lot of time to pass any developmental work, budget have to be allocated, then permission is required, then there is a long process for bidding on tenders and so on,” said Hari Sharan KC, chief of Ratna Park.

“People have to cooperate to help us keep the park in good shape. They should love and care about public property,” adds KC. It is often heard that the park has become a hub for many illegal activities. “We need the help of Nepal Police and the metropolitan police to curb the illegal activities that take place in the park,” said KC.



Sankha Park
Sankha Park is a popular park near Chappal Karkhana, Kathmandu. Most people visit the park for picnicking, meeting and to celebrate as entrance is free.

Thousands of people visit the park every day, which, while confirming its popularity, also leaves it dirty. So the department has decided focus on park´s maintenance.

Plantation, maintenance of ponds and benches are other major renovation works planned for the park. To minimize the accumulation of wastes inside the park, the committee has decided to ban cooking inside it.

"Only ready-to-eat foods would be allowed inside the park after the renovation is completed,” says Mahesh Bhandari, unit chief of Sankha Park.
There are more than 40 other smaller parks apart from the three big parks in capital. Many of those parks are under the care of community clubs, non- governmental organizations and ward offices.

“They approach us only when they need huge amount of money to maintain or build new parks,” said Shrestha.
The department is also planning to build more parks in the Kathmandu Valley in near future. “We have earmarked certain budget for constructing new parks. They may not be very big but will surely provide some open spaces for the residents of Kathmandu,” concludes Shrestha.

We are planning to build more parks
Rabin Man Shrestha
Chief, Environment Management Division
Kathmandu Metropolitan City

What is the condition of parks in the Kathmandu Valley?
The parks are not in good condition. Most people are not eager to visit parks. They don´t think parks are good places for spending leisure time. Though we have been carrying out regular maintenance, the condition of parks has not improved. So we have decided to renovate the three major parks of Kathmandu. Ratna Park, Balaju Park and Sankha Park are the three major parks. We will start renovation work with the park in Balaju.

What are the obstacles in executing renovation projects?
The major problem is about defining the priority. For example, building boundaries around Ratna Park is must, but for builder the boundaries may not be as important compared to other works. It delays the implementation of the whole project. Limited manpower, lack of cooperation from public and limited budget are the other problems.

Are there any plans to build new parks in the Kathmandu Valley?
Yes. We are not planning to build big parks like Ratnapark. We will build garden-type parks, where people can enjoy evening walks and brief rests. We are looking for open spaces at Balkhu, Teku, Naxal for this purpose. As we lack budget, we shall not be able to build these parks this year. But, we will definitely build more parks in the coming days

source: republica,3 March 2013