Xmas gift for Thane residents: Park will open soon, says TMC

The 4,000-sq-m plot at Lokmanya Nagar is a hotspot for drug addicts and anti-social elements. Pics/Satej Shinde

Immediately after mid-day highlighted how residents of Lokmanya Nagar in Thane had been waiting for nine years for the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to convert the neglected Appa Saheb Patil Garden into a Bollywood-themed park, the civic body said it would open the facility to the public soon after sprucing it up. On December 25, this newspaper revealed how the 4,000-sq-m plot where the theme park was to come up is a hotspot for drug addicts and anti-social elements. Frustrated residents told this reporter that they would be happy to settle for a regular garden.

Abhjit Bangar, municipal commissioner of Thane, told mid-day that the park would be opened soon. "It is not good for the park to remain closed. We will clean the plot, repair structures and open it soon," he said. Sources from TMC said that the civic chief had asked officials to review the status of the park and submit a report. "We can't decide on a timeline as of now for the revamp of the park, as we want to understand what kind of work must be carried out first," a senior official said.

Residents react

Lokmanya Nagar resident Dinkar Phulsundar said, "We are facing many issues because of the garden. The number of anti-social elements who gather there has been rising as there is no security. The mosquito menace is also increasing. Before cleaning the plot, the authorities should make security arrangements to keep trespassers at bay."

The neglected Appa Saheb Patil Garden at Lokmanya Nagar in Thane on Sunday. Pics/Satej Shinde

He added, "Now, we can hope to get a regular garden." Swapnil Mahindrakar, a local activist, said, "Finally, Lokmanya Nagar residents will at least get the normal garden they have been demanding." He added that the Thane Municipal Corporation should maintain the garden instead of counting on residents to do so as the civic body was collecting rent from those who live around it.

The ground breaking ceremony for the conversion of the a garden into a theme park was held on August 24, 2014. Later, the TMC cleared a proposal worth Rs 20 crore for this endeavour in 2015 and the work was started in 2017. However, it was not completed. When mid-day visited the spot, several structures resembling movie sets could be seen. But they were severely damaged.

2017
Year the work started