GUWAHATI: The reputation of Shraddhanjali Kanan as a family park on RG Baruah road, opposite State Zoo is gradually fading away thanks to the negligence and apathy of Guwahati Metropolitan Development Department (GMDA). Visitors coming to the park leave disappointed and angry.
A ground visit by G Plus revealed that the main attractions of the park have stopped working completely since June this year. The attractions mainly included laser and musical fountains, water fountains, four rides and four slides meant for children inside the park which have completely ceased to be operational due to lack of maintenance by the authorities.
The park was developed by GMDA way back in 2010 at an expense of Rs. 8.73 crores and it is spread over 23 bighas of land.
Visitors who are disappointed with the services have resorted to blaming us for the negligence. We have no way out other than pointing towards GMDA for the resentment among the visitors,” a security personnel posted at the park said.
The park sees a massive footfall during the month of July. Summer vacations in schools attract children from different parts of the city to this park. However, this time, guardians found that the main attractions inside the park were non-functional. They were very unhappy at what was going inside the park.
“Parents with their kids throng the park during summer vacations in schools. This time when many of them found that the attractions were not working, they demanded refund of entry fees. When we said that we would not be able to give the money back they engaged in heated arguments with us. This is not our fault and people should report their complaints to GMDA instead,” a cashier at the ticket counter said.
Visitors condemned the lopsided work of GMDA and urged the authorities to be more professional. Some even demanded that the park be shut down till the main attractions became functional.
“GMDA lacks creativity. In other cities of India there are multiple children and family parks. If some things in a certain park go wrong people go to another park. Dearth of open spaces in Guwahati is another prime concern. Shraddhanjali Kanan in Guwahati is the only park where we can take our children for amusement. The rides and slides have now stopped working. They charge Rs 20 per person at the ticket counter for nothing. So I demanded refund of my money,” a visitor quarrelling at the ticket counter said.
“Shraddhanjali Kanan generated around Rs 70,000 per Sunday alone when the main attractions were working. It has been failing to generate even Rs 20,000 per month ever since the attractions have stopped working,” a source at GMDA said.
“Every year in the month of July, Shraddhanjali Kanan witnesses a massive footfall. On Sundays, some 500-700 visitors throng the park with their children. This year we saw a complete reversal of fortunes. Angry visitors threatened us of police action and some even told us that they will complain about this apathy in front of the media. Now we have only a few visitors to the park. Many of them are disappointed at the present situation,” a lady security personnel said.
The downfall of the park has immensely affected the canteen owners and food vendors inside the park. Their business has gone down and they seem to be a worried lot. They are clearly facing the brunt of the lower footfall which is mainly due to the poor maintenance of the park and dysfunction of the main attractions.
“For the last 3-4 months we are having very less customers at the canteen. The slides and rides are not working so people have stopped coming to the park. Earlier, customers had to wait for their turn to eat at the canteen,” a waiter said.
Contract with the maintenance company turned sour
Sources in the GMDA said that GMDA’s contract with a company engaged at Shraddhanjali Kanan didn’t go well this year. The company was mainly associated with overall maintenance of the park.
“Due to some disagreement during financial negotiations the company associated with the park withdrew from the contract. Till now no fresh tender has been called for maintenance of the park. This would take some more time. The park would be fully functional from next financial year,” the source said.