Green belts, parks cry for maintenance

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 29

The grass and flowers are missing but litter is seen everywhere in a green belt near Cheema Chowk here. A pool with a defunct fountain is in a dilapidated condition, while some statues have broken down in the green belt. A compost pit is becoming a source for the collection of solid waste. Moreover, construction waste has also been dumped at this greenbelt. Residents said the green belt was being ignored for years.

Similarly, the green belts near Partap Chowk, Gill Chowk, Sherpur Chowk, Dholewal Chowk and other areas of the industrial city have been crying for attention for a long time. The industrial ash and waste are also dumped in many parks or green belts in the Focal Point areas. A park near Metro Tyres remains flooded with industrial waste for the past several years but MC has failed to take any action. Besides, a number of the parks in the Ludhiana East and some other constituencies are yet to be developed.

There are 870 parks (mostly located in Zone D) and 52 green belts in the city. Park management committees look after around 580 parks in the city. In the areas under the MC’s Zone D, many of the parks and green belts are well maintained by the park management committees or MC itself. But, a number of parks and green belts in other zones are yet to be developed.

A resident of Tajpur Road, Surinder Singh, said a park near Tajpur Road was in a shambles but the department concerned had failed to maintain it. “The pollution level remains high in our area due to nearby industries. Thus, there is a need to increase the green cover in this area. Besides, there are several other parks which are yet to be developed. The department concerned should deploy gardeners to look after the parks. More trees and plants should be planted,” he said.

Gurpreet Gogi, Chairman of Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC), said, “The MC is responsible for developing the parks in the Focal Point area but it has done nothing to develop these parks. The authorities should take immediate steps to increase the green cover and maintain the parks.”

The MC’s horticulture wing is facing staff shortage. An MC employee said, “Once around 640 employees, including gardeners/beldars, used to look after the parks and green belts in the city but there are only 80 gardeners available to look after the city parks. Besides, some of the horticulture wing employees have been deployed in other branches.

There is a need to recruit more gardeners for the development of the parks and green belts in the city.”

MC fails to remove encroachments

The MC has failed to remove encroachments from several parks and green belts in the city. A few residents also moved the National Green Tribunal against these encroachments a month ago. These residents have also opposed the MC’s plan to set up a waste compactor at Bhai Chattar Singh Park.

They had alleged that encroachments had come up in a number of parks and green belts in the Cheema Chowk circle, Basant Park circle, New Model Town circle, Focal Point circle, Dr Ambedkar Chowk, Jalandhar Bypass, Atam Park, Dugri, circle, Guru Nanak and Out Park Circle, BRS Nagar, etc.

Parminder Singh Soma, a former councillor, said, “The green belts are also being misused by some firms on the Dholewal-Sherpur Chowk road. Encroachments should be removed from the green belts and parks. The MC should focus on the plantation in the green belts and parks.”