The Joggers’ Park is to Bandra what the Hanging Gardens is to South Mumbai. For a city crunched for space, this little stretch of green is a suburban pride. It is also probably what gives us, Mumbaikars, our mini brag points when Delhi folks rub it in our faces that we do not have enough parks or grounds. Ouch, but true! All the more reason why it becomes important to take care of what we have.
In the recent past, the Joggers’ Park’s upkeep shifted hands from a privately-owned enterprise to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. With this change of administration, came an ambitious redevelopment plan for the Park, while taking into account inputs from several Carter Road residents and members of the Save Joggers’ Park Committee. The said committee of residents have acted as the watchdogs of the Park, overseeing the day to day upkeep, raising issues with concerned authorities and actively volunteering in the ongoing work.
The unforeseen lockdown, however, has meant a delay in the revamp project. The Park, scheduled to be unveiled in its new avatar by April, this year, is now snail-pacing towards an end-of-the-year competition. This stalled work is reflected in the lamentable state of the garden, and it has led to some complaints from regular joggers and residents.
“The water in the pond has been murky and green throughout the lockdown. I see lesser ducks here now. Last year there were about 17; now there are just 7 or 8 ducks left! Where have they gone?”, asks a Joggers’ Park regular and an animal lover. “The BMC is supposed to provide Bajra for their feed, but I worry about its regularity. Along with 3 other joggers, we have taken the responsibility of feeding these ducks additional chapatis, every day. There were also a few turtles in the pond. Now there are none. Rabbits too, have been rehabilitated to a shelter by a few residents, because they were not being cared for, during this period. This issue must be raised, and animal care must perhaps be supervised by a separate entity.”
Another jogger pointed out to the overgrown grass and the general lack of maintenance. Could this be a lockdown effect or negligence on the part of the contractor, we asked. Frankie, as he is popularly known, has been working as the Park’s caretaker for over 25 years. He was our best bet for some useful insights. “A lot of the maintenance work has been held up due to the rains and also because the park was shut during the pandemic. The pooling work usually cannot happen during monsoon, as there is a fear of the fishes in the pond getting drained out.”
We enquire about the missing ducks. “Well, yes…there have been robberies in the park, especially during this time, because the railing work is not complete.”
So, are there any issues that the man, who has cared for the Park for the longest, would like to raise – we asked. “Security is everything. For the joggers, for the caretakers, for the animals and also for the work to happen smoothly. That is my suggestion; improve security.”
Shyama Kulkarni, a core member of the Save Joggers Park Committee also observed that there have been break-ins at night to use the Park’s bathroom. “Also, due to delay in payments to staff by the contractor, PD Infra Project, there was added negligence. The issue was raised by the Committee with concerned authorities and dues have finally been cleared. We hope to see work catching speed again.”
Armed with grievances of residents, we finally reached out to Corporator, Asif Zakaria. He agreed that due to lockdown and the monsoon there have been a number of complaints regarding the upkeep. We were informed that the leveling work that was stalled, has been resumed. His team has also been working towards addressing some of the issues raised, immediately. “We want this upgrade work to be a cohesive and participative effort. The park does not just belong to the BMC or a Corporator; it belongs to the people. While we are already working closely with residents of the area, I will be more than welcome to get feedback from more people, via Bandra Buzz, and make this a holistic approach. We take architectural inputs from Rinka D’Monte, a resident and a regular jogger, and we have arranged for her to work closely with the BMC. I will be glad to have more people pitching in with their suggestions.”
Mr. Zakaria also shed more light on the revamp plan, so our reader can get a better understanding of what to look forward to, at Joggers’ Park, by the end of this year. “We are improving the overall infrastructure of the park and for the first time, we have introduced an artificial synthetic track. For the joggers to experience variety, we are creating multiple tracks – an outermost concrete track, a red soil track, a synthetic track and an innermost cobblestone track. Another big change will be a larger, dedicated children’s play area. Instead of sand, that was conducive to ants and injuries, there will be soft flooring, along with a separate kitchen area for caretakers. Temporary monsoon sheds will give way to permanent roofs. There will also be a renewed plantation, better lighting and a connector from the Park to the promenade.”
Well, that sounds promising to us! What do you think? Write to us with your views, suggestions or complaints, and we, at Bandra Buzz, will forward it directly to the Corporator. If Mr. Oliver Andrade, a sports teacher, could conjure up a Park out of nothing, we Bandraites can surely keep his vision and zeal alive by coming together, to make apna Joggers better, men!
