K L Rao Park repair works at snail pace

Vijayawada: Municipal Commissioner J Nivas on Thursday directed the municipal officials to take measures immediately restore K L Rao Park located at K L Rao Nagar in the Old City. As part of the city inspection, the Commissioner inspected K L Rao Park and vented his ire at the contractor for not completing the works.

The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation has take up the development works like increasing greenery, cleaning the water for boat riding and installing new play toys for the children. The contractor has neglected the works and not restoring the boating facility in the park.

K L Rao Park is the only park for over one lakh people living at Samarangam Chowk Centre and Milk Project area in the Old City. During the summer, a large number of visitors particularly children and elderly people used to visit the park in the evening for a fresh breath of air. Hundreds of children had fun and play at the park from 5 pm to 8 pm during the summer holidays.

Unfortunately, the park has been closed for many years due to damage of play toys, extinction of greenery and damage of boats. In this backdrop, the corporation has decided to develop the park at a cost of Rs 30 lakh and awarded the works to a private contractor who failed to complete the works for several months.

Later, the Commissioner inspected the swimming pool located near the park and instructed the officials to take up flooring repair works. The local residents requested the Commissioner to construct one more dressing room. The Commissioner has assured that request would be conceded. The Commissioner also inspected the Cholera Hospital and enquired about the anti-larvae operations being taken up by malaria and sanitation staff in the Old City. Biologist A Nookaraju and other officials accompanied the Commissioner.