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Renovated Bharathi Park has much to offer

Rajesh Nair

Modelled on French gardens, it has several recreation facilities for children

PUDUCHERRY: The renovated Bharathi Park in the heart of the town, which was thrown open to the public on Friday evening, will no more be a place to while away time.

In a way it is revitalisation of the area, which decades ago used to be the nerve centre of Dutch, French and British rules.

The refurbished park, at a cost of Rs. 4.3 crore, is a vehicle-free zone. It has several recreation facilities for children.

The park, modelled on French urban gardens, has been surrounded with a cast iron fence and has four entrances. The park boasts of a musical fountain, one flow-form water pool, children's area with play equipment, landscapes as well as wind chimes.

There will be additions such as singing stones and chimes, according to Ashok Panda, co-ordinator of Indian National Trust for Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Puducherry Chapter, which designed and supervised the renovation work.

The four main pathways inside the park had been paved with granite slabs and cobbles. The secondary winding pathways were cemented with granite slabs and grass joints. Also, there were neatly put-up granite benches all along the pathway, he said.

The sculptures and pillars, which were earlier scattered, had been rearranged in order with individual spotlights. The Ayai Mandapam, a monument at the middle of the park, spots an entirely new look with dazzling lights.

From the administration's part to maintain the park, eight workers had been deployed to undertake round-the-clock cleaning and another six for security purpose. On its part, INTACH would organise trips for schoolchildren and educate them on how to have fun without disturbing the beauty of the park.

The park would remain open till 10 p.m. every day.

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