Kangra amusement park awaits inauguration

Ashok Raina

Kangra, April 17

The amusement park on the Zamanabad road has been completed. However, it has not been inaugurated as wait for a VIP for the ceremony continues.

Spread over 16 kanals and funded by the Asian Development Bank, the park was developed at a cost of Rs4 crore. Following the residents’ demands, a children’s park was developed at a cost of Rs45 lakh a few years ago.

“Residents have been wanting such a park for decades and now when it is there, the Tourism Department is waiting for a VIP to inaugurate it,” a local said.

The children’s park on the right bank of the Manooni river at Matour is of no use and the money spent on it could be used elsewhere.

The amusement park has fountains with fancy lights, a cafeteria, washrooms, parking, amphitheatre and an open area. The project was allotted to MCC Power Project Private Limited, a Kangra-based company. It is learnt that the land belonged to the Bajreshwari Temple Trust. Earlier, the Trust had decided to have a scholars’ home, but the plan did not materialise. Now, the residents hope that the amusement park will be opened shortly.

Monika Devi, a social activist, said the park should be opened even if no VIP was available for its inauguration. She demanded that streetlights from the Dharamsala road till the park be installed.