Indian Express 07.10.2010
Finally, Mohali parks to get a facelift
Express News Service Tags : GMADA, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority, Mohali Municipal Council Posted: Thu Oct 07 2010, 02:26 hrs
Mohali: Finally, around 500 parks and green belts in Mohali will get a facelift. For, the state government has sanctioned a sum of Rs 15 crore for their development, renovation and upkeep.The development assumes significance as a majority of the city parks were lying neglected with neither the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) nor the Mohali Municipal Council (MC) owning responsibility of their maintenance and upkeep.
The much-awaited work to make the city clean and green began from one of the major parks spread across five acres of area in Phase IV here on Wednesday.
District Planning Committee Chairman N K Sharma kick-started the work on the fountain irrigation scheme to cost Rs 5 lakh in the park.
He said that while paying heed to one of the major problems of the local residents, the state government has approved the special corpus of Rs 15 crore for the facelift of Mohali parks to ensure their maximum utility for the locals.
He said the musical fountain system costing Rs 14 lakh has already been installed in Phase IV park under its renovation plan. “Work on other parks will also begin soon,” he assured.
It was in July that MC had resolved to take over the maintenance and upkeep of around 500 parks and green belts in the city.
These parks, spread across around 180 acres, are located in different sectors and phases falling under the municipal limits while those located in Sectors 66-69 and other city areas, which were outside the municipal limits, were still under the control of GMADA. A mutual agreement was reached between MC and GMADA officials to this effect in May.
As per the agreement, GMADA would pay monthly maintenance charges at the rate of Rs 1.3 per square metre. However, MC has demanded from GMADA another Rs 4 crore lump-sum amount for proper development of the parks and green belts. Now, MC would fully develop all the parks and green belts besides ensuring their regular maintenance and upkeep.
Earlier, the repeated efforts of GMADA to hand over the parks to respective Residents’ Welfare Associations or private players had not found any takers. Though GMADA had also been holding MC responsible for the job in municipal limits but MC on its part had been claiming that parks were the sole property of GMADA and were never formally handed over to MC.
