Ghatkopar garden in shambles a year after renovation, crib seniors

The Vallabhacharya Rajawadi Garden in Ghatkopar East after was re-opened after renovations last monsoon, but seniors who frequent the park say that many disappointments put a damper on their regular visits

MUMBAI: What’s the point of spending ₹4 crore when there’s no swing around? This is the refrain of the senior citizens who have been frequenting the Vallabhacharya Rajawadi Garden in Ghatkopar East after it was opened after renovations last monsoon. Despite the necessary improvements, many disappointments put a damper on their regular visits, so much so that on Wednesday, 130 of them dashed off a letter to the BMC.

Ghatkopar garden in shambles a year after renovation, crib seniors

“The Rajawadi Garden is an embedded part of our lives,” said Ramesh Mistry, 70, who heads the Rajawadi Garden Citizens Forum. “We go in the mornings and evenings for walks; there’s a laughter club that has a blast in the mornings. We’ve been a close-knit group for the past 20 to 25 years.”

Mistry said that while the renovation had fixed some problems, it had created others. The litany of complaints is long: street lights that don’t work; deteriorating open gym equipment; leakage from the gazebo and pagoda; stray dogs that create a scary environment, and more. “Earlier, we had swings, which senior citizens would enjoy,” he said. “But they’re no longer there.”

Mistry pointed out that during the renovation, due to chronic waterlogging the ground was raised by nine inches and the walkways were redone. “Already, after a year, the tiles are coming off and they are a hazard for senior citizens,” he said. “The work was not of good quality.”

Another resident, Chetan Gajaria, said that the flowers in the garden as well as the earlier drinking water facility had vanished. “Also, some of the lights don’t work,” he said. “Others do but they are behind trees and hidden from view. Horticulture maintenance too is lacking, with no gardener in sight.” Gajaria also has a serious issue with the stray dogs lurking around the area. “If anyone goes to the park with a bag in hand, the dogs chase them and bark, causing many to fear for their lives,” he said.

“Our old benches were taken out and new granite benches installed, but they are absent in places where they are needed,” he continued. “On top of this, there is no security placed by the BMC at the garden. What makes it all worse is that there is a drain right at the entrance of the garden, but it is at a much lower level, and that has caused every one of us to fall in the past. Now we’ve learnt to sidestep it.”

When contacted, an official from N ward said the complaints would be looked into.