Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Oct 20: The city is undergoing a face change on account of Smart City schemes. At the same time, Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has planned to raise a new park in each of the wards in order to create and maintain green neighbourhoods everywhere.

In the first phase, the plan is to establish 15 parks. The parks are proposed to be created by making use of the vacant government land. A survey has been undertaken for this purpose and this process is expected to be completed within a week.

Kadri park (file photo)

The city badly needs green cover as development projects have caused large scale destruction of greenery and with concrete structures everywhere, temperatures are soaring. With the increase in the city's population, people are encountering lack of public space for rest and exercise. MUDA chairman is specifically interested in planning Miyawaki model parks in vacant spaces having less than five cents area and thereby strengthening the presence of greenery.

For the 60 wards of the city, Kadri park is the only major park that it can boast of. Pilikula has been identified more as a tourist spot and academic centre rather than as a park. Gandhi Park in front of the town hall, Tagore Park at Light House HIll, corporation Bank sponsored park near Nehru Maidan, Mannagudde park, Valencia Park, Jeppu market park and some other small parks too are located here. The city has the problem of space and as such, construction of bigger parks is not possible. Alternatively mini parks can be developed in different places. Such efforts are already going on in places like Bijai Vivekananda mini park, and Karangalpady Arise Awake mini park. Small walking tracks can help the locals to take some rest and do exercises. A Miyawaki park is coming up near the zilla panchayat office at Urwa Store. A mini park has come up near City Hospital, Kadri.

In the first phase, MUDA plans to build one park for every four wards. MLA Vedavyas Kamath, has submitted a proposal for 40 parks in the wards falling under the city south constituency some of which are mini and others medium sized. Dr Bharath Shetty, MLA, has proposed for parks in the city north constituency. MUDA chairman Ravishankar Mijar, is considering these proposals for possible implementation.

Mijar said that in the first phase, 15 parks are proposed to be built in the city.