Renovation work in CK-CL Park has been stalled and the new walkway that was being built last week is, in fact, being filled up.
The civic body had authorised work in the park using funds from Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) but the work met with mixed response. Those against it threatened to move court and so the mayor now has taking a rain check on the plans.
“The walkway was a misunderstanding,” says Krishna Chakraborty, local councillor and mayor. “The contractors and labourers misinterpreted instructions and had started building a pathway through the field. As soon as I realised this I stopped the work and asked them to undo the damage.”
When work had begun, residents had assumed they were building badminton courts and senior citizen corners, and block committee members were counting on some privacy for third parties hosting private events at the community hall and adjoining field outside.
“At present, morning walkers have to either walk through the event or are forced to make about turns when they reach the pandal. This has been a long-standing complaint in the months preceding Durga puja when the pandal gets built. The walkway would have cordoned off a strip in front of the hall and allowed walkers a clean-cut rectangular pathway to walk around,” says the block’s general secretary Shanti Ranjan Pal.
But some residents felt the move would drastically reduce the space available for playing football. “I grew up playing in this park and shall not let today’s children be deprived of playing space,” said Sugata Shankar Roy, a CK Block resident who led a signature campaign against the move.
Armed with about 100 signatures, he appealed to the authorities and had the work stopped. Since the renovation money has already been sanctioned, Chakraborty assures development but doesn’t elaborate. “Work will be done in good time and in a manner that suits everyone,” is all she says.