HC comes to the rescue of Agra’s Paliwal Park
Development Authority (ADA) and are cleaned by the Agra Municipal Corporation (AMC).
Earlier known as Hewitt Park, after a British officer, it houses the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University of Agra, John’s Public Library run by the Agra Nagar Nigam, besides a lake with boating facility, and numerous green areas demarcated by roads moving through Paliwal Park.
The park is favourite with morning walkers and a few of them gathered under the umbrella body ‘Good Morning Agra’ and highlighted the shortcomings in the park through writ petition filed in the Allahabad high court which was heard by the bench of chief justice Rajesh Bindal and justice Prakash Padia.
In its order dated May 5, the high court took note of the complaints made regarding the dilapidated condition of the park with stray dogs and animals beside wild grass growing all around, and also pits used for garbage collection.
“Considering the importance of the city, which is visited by lakhs of tourists, including foreign tourists and the park being situated in the heart of the city, in our opinion, the matter regarding its development and maintenance, has to be monitored by the state itself.
“It shall be the responsibility of the state to get the works executed by different agencies whosoever may be responsible according to it, otherwise coordination amongst different departments may not be possible,” the high court said in its order, while fixing May 24 as the next date of hearing in the case.
After the court order, Sanjeev Kumar Verma, superintendent, government garden, department of horticulture at Agra, filed his affidavit on May 24, suggesting a time frame for compliance of various requirements including lighting on roads, removal of encroachments, catching stray animals, repair of boundary walls, maintenance of greenery, besides a beautification project for ‘Bal Vihar’. Bal Vihar is a complex within the park with swings and a lake.
Verma outlined that detailed orders were passed in a meeting headed by the Agra district magistrate on May 20 in compliance of these measures which shall be implemented in time-bound manner.
At the same hearing, Good Morning Agra presented its comprehensive plan for the maintenance of Paliwal Park.
“Proper sweeping and cleansing of roads and footpaths should be done by the AMC daily with a dedicated team of 10 persons and their names should also be displayed on a plaque at a prominent place in the park. Many street lights in the park are not functioning. Installed by the ADA these lights are maintained by the AMC,” said KC Jain, convenor of Good Morning Agra
“The field in the centre of the park has a walking track about 1-1.25 km, on which visitors to the park walk and jog. We have demanded that the damaged parts of this walking track be repaired and cleaned regularly. Apart from this, a demand has also been made to clean the inner parts of the park,” said Jain.
“There is also a need for construction and proper maintenance of public conveniences in the park, construction and maintenance of railing and boundary wall in the park. There is no iron railing for fencing in the park from Geeta Bhawan to John’s Public Library and beyond to Wazirpura, due to which stray animals enter the park,” he said.
“In a large part of the park located near Gandhi Nagar Gate, shrubs of thorny Vilayati Babool (Prosopis juliflora) have grown, due to which this part of the park is not in the use by the general public. From an environmental point of view, there should be no Vilayati Babool in the park, due to which the groundwater is adversely affected and it does not allow other species of trees to flourish. Other plants/trees of other native species can be easily planted in the places where the Vilayati Babool is,” highlighted Jain.
The high court has now fixed July 6, 2022, as the next date of hearing in the case and has asked the horticulture department to ensure compliance of a comprehensive plan presented by petitioner in the PIL.