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Chill out in the green

A large chunk of wasteland was converted into a beautiful lung space with community participation

GREEN CARPET Children having a gala time on the grass PHOTO: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM

Walking amidst green trees and nature can go a long way in improving the physical and mental health of citizens. When utilised effectively even small pieces of urban green space can have a positive effect on many aspects of our health. Being in nature also helps reduce stress and provides peace of mind.

The dwindling green cover as a result of urbanisation is giving little scope for citizens to avail of that luxury. Walking on roads in the concrete jungles and breathing polluted air not only causes illness but also increases the risk of accidents. Against this backdrop parks developed in residential colonies come as a breath of fresh air.

Imagine a park, with a wide concrete path on which three persons can comfortably walk side by side, located in an area where over 50 per cent of the residents are slum dwellers. Scores of mothers who have school going children, beat the track before daybreak and finish their fitness regimen even before the daily grind of preparing their kids for school begins. An estimated 250 walkers visit the park in the mornings and evenings every day not only to keep themselves fit but also for a whiff of fresh air.

P. Rama Sastry, a senior citizen and regular walker at the park, finds the walking track `excellent'. A resident of Maruti Towers in KRM Colony, he says: "I come here for a breath of fresh air and to discuss issues of common interest with people of my age-group." Regular pruning of the grass would improve the park further, he adds.

"I have been walking for an hour both in the mornings and evenings for the past one year. Occasionally, I walk on the road near my house but here I feel secure and the greenery is appealing," says Kumari, a housewife residing near Dr. V.S. Krishna College, about a kilometre away.

"I find it very convenient and safe to walk in the park even before daybreak. There are street lights all around and the park is also well illuminated," says Uma Chodavarapu, a resident of nearby H.B. Colony, who has been visiting the park regularly for the past two years.

"Though we are living in H.B. Colony for the past five years, I came to know of the park only two years ago accidentally when I took the wrong route on my scooter. The monthly maintenance fee of Rs.20 being charged from walkers is the bare minimum on which no one can grudge. It's a boon to poor children who cannot afford to go and play in big parks," she feels.

A few years ago that was a large piece of wasteland in KRM Colony. During the tenure of Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy as Minister for Municipal Administration, a compound wall was constructed and saplings planted under the `Clean and Green' programme.

The then Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Jaju suggested development of a park and handed over the site to the KRM Colony Resident's Welfare Association for development and maintenance.

Thanks to the efforts of the association, Rs.80,000 was collected as donation from the residents though a large part of the colony was inhabited by poor slum dwellers. P. Kasi Viswanath and G. Hanumantha Rao, who took over as president and general secretary of the association five years ago, took keen interest in the development of the park.

A notice board was put up at the entrance appealing to regular walkers to contribute Rs.20 or more every month towards maintenance of the park. Little wonder that over 200 walkers utilise the excellent walking track developed in the park.

A fountain and a pagoda were also developed. Impressed by the work done by the association, the then Municipal Commissioner sanctioned funds.

The Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation has accorded permission to the association for construction of a few shops along the periphery of the park to raise funds for maintenance and take up development works. "We are against construction of shops as that would give a commercial angle to the project. Further, we are not sure as to how many would utilise the shops as more than half the residents are poor," says Mr. Hanumantha Rao.

"Works worth about Rs.7 lakhs like embellishing the pagoda with tiles, erection of an ornamental fencing along the compound wall with iron grills, to prevent slum dwellers from scaling the boundary wall and damaging the play equipment, are pending. We hope that the present Commissioner N. Srikanth would do the needful," he adds.

The park, developed with community participation, is sure to make residents of other colonies go green with envy.

B. MADHU GOPAL

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