Amidst concrete structures imbibing the spirit of the city-dwellers at the centre of Margao’s bustling busy life, stands the Aga Khan Children’s Park, commonly known as the Margao Municipal Garden. This park has created several mirthful memories, not only for locals, but also tourists and other admirers.
Despite the splendour of lush vegetation adorned by numerous flower-bearing trees, this park has failed to serve its several purposes. The lack of adequate maintenance has resulted in broken flooring on the footpath that is a peril not only to the children, but also young adults and senior citizens who either want to spend a quality time with their families or go for a morning/evening walk.
The severed tiles can result in anybody having a terrible fall and injuries. The benches on the interior are in a dilapidated state. With broken backs, these benches lie isolated with bird faeces all over. They are feeble, weak and certainly an eyesore. The swings that were once an attraction lie unattended as one of the pairs remains in a broken and sorry state. The lamp posts installed along the track inside are non-functional.
The same applies to the fountain attraction in the park. Most of the spouts, leaving a few are shunned by a deluge of emptiness. Broken frames, panels, uprooted trees and sharp objects sprawl shamelessly all about.
There is an urgent need for the Margao Municipal Council and the Forest Department to expedite the repair work to restore the faded glory of this beautiful park. The citizens too, must take an initiative towards creating awareness about this issue.
