It is disheartening to see what a couple of years of negligence can do to a popular hangout spot among residents.
A 3.5-acre playground once popular among residents of Vasundhara Enclave has now been reduced to a vacant plot preferred by alcoholics and junkies.
Residents told City Spidey that visiting the ground meant putting one's life in danger. When the City Spidey team visited this playground on a Saturday evening, we found a couple of people sitting in the middle of the park, drinking beer and wine. A group of eight people was seen sitting huddled in a corner smoking marijuana.
Photo: Samrat Roy
“The playground used to be a popular haunt for residents of the area," said BS Rawat, a resident of Delux Apartments. "About five to six years back, there used to be plants and flower gardens. Now, owing to DDA's negligence, it has been reduced to a dimly lit secluded area that attracts unwanted elements."
Poonam Dhavan, a resident of Heritage Apartments who works with DDA, said the playground had been developed by the Authority about 20 years back, along with the housing societies in the area. “DDA had developed this playground for the residents of housing societies, and its maintenance was handed over to Chilla Sports Complex soon after."
She further added, “I tried my best to save this playground. We need an immediate solution, as the situation has become quite grave now."
Photo: Praveen Dwivedi
City Spidey also made several calls to Jagdeesh Kumar, superintendent engineer of horticulture (DDA), but he did not respond.
“The playground has courts for volleyball and badminton, and residents used to be regulars here," said JP Sharma, general secretary of the Joint Forum of Vasundhara Enclave CGHS. "It all started with the tubewell. The tubewell that was used to water plants stopped working one day, and it was never repaired. It was the only source of water here in this park. Once that stopped working, the playground started changing. The lawns dried up, the plants started dying. Over time, it just lost its glory. What was once the favourite hangout spot for about 500 residents is now a barren patch of land that is best avoided."
The poles that used to hold up the nets in the badminton and the volleyball courts are seen lying forgotten in a corner of the playground. Most of the lights are either damaged or removed. The walkways are severely damaged and the road leading to the park is used by people to relieve themselves.
