A park full of woes

​Nandini Chakrabarty,(The author is a noted environmentalist):- A breath of fresh air to the residents in and around Prince Anwar Shah Road, Indrani Park is indeed an unique bio-diverse haven in the middle of South Kolkata.

This park & water body were created by the Civil Engineering department of Jadavpur University in 2006 from a vested piece of land. Conceived as a park by KIT, funded by the MP LAD Fund, this jewel of a space & water body was unique in its design. The water body is extremely large & very old tank in the area. This space has been impeccably maintained by me for the last 16 years.

This incredible space is frequented by residents in large numbers. Both the young & old find this park to be of interest. The water body has a large population of fish including Golden Koi Carp. These fish are daily fed by the visitors. The young school children save money or save their Tiffin, to feed the fish. On summer afternoons the “ghat” is teeming with enthusiasts who enjoy this sight.

There is a temporary green house that is home to many exotic varieties of ferns, orchids, bonsai and air growing plants. The park, water body, green house are are open to all between 8AM to 5PM. Before the electric supply was cut off, it used to remain open till 7PM. There are quaint lights all around the walking path. These do not work any longer.

The entire perimeter of the water body and park are planted with many varieties of trees which are home to birds such as Cormorants, Kingfisher, Parakeets,, Orioles, Barbets, etc. The ground nesting birds like pond herons, white breasted water hens lay eggs on the secured banks of the pond.

Smaller animals, reptiles, lizards like palm civets, mongoose, water snakes, turtles, lizards abound around the bushes & shrubs and are occasionally visible from the outside.

Each winter the gardens are laid out with flower beds of every variety, petunia, phlox, geraniums, aster, snap dragon, hollyhock, salvia which is a delight. The garden has won prizes as the Best Garden in its category for four years consecutively at the Annual Agri Horticultural Flower shows between the years 2016 to 2019.

Now this space is threatened to vanish altogether, as the entire set of steps leading to the ghat has collapsed, due to soil erosion. The walkway path adjoining the tank is collapsing each day due to further damage increasing on daily basis. Information has been given to the KMC, KIT, Mayor and other authorities without any help.

Recently there has been an inspection from the authorities who claim it will be “expensive” and time consuming. Swift repair is of the essence to prevent further damage due to erosion. What will be the fate of the park? The very existence hangs on a thin balance.