Broken gym equipment, damaged floors: Noida residents seek better park upkeep

Noida: Residents of several sectors in Noida have raised concerns over the poor upkeep of their neighbourhood parks and open gyms in them

Noida: Residents of several sectors in Noida have raised concerns over the poor upkeep of their neighbourhood parks and open gyms in them.

Acknowledging the issue of park and gyms, that are about five-year old, horticulture authorities said they are working on a cost-effective solution to be implemented soon. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

They allege most of these open gyms, located within the parks, are in abysmal condition while pointing out damaged flooring, broken equipment, overflowing dustbins and inadequate maintenance.

Acknowledging the issue of park and gyms, that are about five-year old, horticulture authorities said they are working on a cost-effective solution to be implemented soon.

Meanwhile, in Sector 12, residents pointed out the condition of the open gym in Shimla Park.

“The flooring tiles have become loose, and swings require repair. Garbage is scattered all around as the bins are overflowing. Even the grass and hedges are never trimmed. The local horticulture unit for Sector 12 pays no heed to these issues,” said Tarsem Chand of the Plot Owners Residents Welfare Association (PORWA).

“The makeshift entry is unstable. I hear about residents getting hurt due to it. The boundary wall is broken, the park does not have streetlights, and garbage heaps often pile up inside the park,” he added.

Residents of Sector 72 also raised similar concerns. “For the last one-and-a-half years, no attention has been paid on maintenance. The flooring is missing or barely there, and the equipment does not work. We have four parks here, and even the park’s maintenance is quite poor,” said Satish Pandey, president of the Sector 72 RWA.

Residents of Jal Vayu Vihar in Sectors 21 and 25 and Sector 71 had also earlier raised concerns over damaged flooring at open gyms in their areas.

Anand Mohan Singh, deputy director (horticulture), Noida Authority, said maintenance and repair work at open gyms was ongoing. “Repairs is a continuous work. A lot of these open gyms are now older than five years, and we are already working for rematting the floors. The rubber tiles did not last well in the rising temperatures. We had put them there to ensure that no one gets injured while using the gym equipment,” he said.

Mohan said civil work related to the parks and open gyms would be completed before Diwali.