For evening walkers at Central Park, who were grappling with darkness on walking track for quite some time, here comes a ray of hope.
A day after it came into cognisance of JDA commissioner Anandhi, all the pole lights meant to illuminate the 4.1 km walking track, started working.
Light at last engulfed the darkness which had been the cause for several mishaps during the evening walk. A prompt action from JDA just fixed the simple problem, which had been the spoilsport from several months.
“Today it rained in the evening. But due to lights all through the track, there was no slippage as we could see the way while waking,” said 60-year-old Rajesh Kumar, who is a regular walker.
Ashima Khanna, who cultivated habit of walking with torch of her mobile on due to persistent darkness, now doesn't need the torch any more.
“I used to feel scared while walking. It would be dark every where. Whenever someone would pass by, I used to get scared. But now with lights all through, I can concentrate on my walking speed,” she said.
Darkness at Central Park was not only causing inconvenience to walkers, but also it was becoming den of anti social elements.
“I have seen people boozing behind the shrubs. As there use for be darkness, no one cared. But it can be a big threat to women and girls who come alone,” said Shubhra Sharma, 45 year old banker who comes with her daughter.
Central Park is considered lungs of Jaipur city. It is hardly 2 kms away from Jaipur Development Authorities and just across the chief secretary bungalow. Even then it needed intervention at highest level for rectification of lighting issue.
“Contractors don't take things seriously. There is a lack of monitoring. If the supervisor and the engineer incharge review the condition of basic amenities ties at park regularly, public will never face problem,” said Rakesh Saini, a retired engineer.
Prakash Bhandari is a veteran journalist with over 50 years of experience. He has worked with The Times of India for 30 years and contributed to leading publications as well as international news agency AFP.
