The best things in life are free, but we don’t value them much.

The coal town’s civic body has imposed an entry fee of Rs 10 for adults and Rs 5 for children for the newly beautified Bekar Bandh, also known as Rajendra Sarovar.

This revenue will help maintain the pond and adjoining park, recently renovated at a cost of Rs 7.86 crore, with a host of facilities, including a musical laser fountain. Also, people paying the entry fee would be more mindful not to litter the pond and park, it is being hoped.

For morning walkers, entry will be free between 4am and 8am.

Municipal commissioner Chandramohan Kashyap said they had deputed six security guards and 10 sweepers for regular cleaning.

“We have initiated steps to allot four shops on the pond campus and plan to develop more facilities such as a gymnasium, cafeteria and children’s swings and slides at the park,” Kashyap said, adding that entry fee would cover the maintenance cost of the pond, including electricity and diesel needed to operate the laser fountain.

“We are working on a multi-sports complex less than 500 metres away from Bekar Bandh. In the first phase of the multi-sport complex, we plan a roller skating zone, a children’s play area, an open gym besides and jogging tracks,” Kashyap said.

He added that they planned to overhaul Birsa Munda Park too. The park, some 6km from district headquarters, would have an urban haat, an amphitheatre and a children park, Kashyap said.

The development plan of Birsa Munda Park includes overhauling the existing water body and introduce boating there, refurbish the entrance and visitors’ parking area, restructure public utilities and amenities of the park, install signage and landscape and plant/maintain trees and shrubs wherever needed. Kashyap added they were also mulling how to make the park more disabled friendly.