PUNE With the city ready to unlock from June 7, 2021, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will also reopen 31 gardens for residents. The PMC has built and maintained 204 gardens, but as a precaution and to reopen in a phase-wise manner, 31 gardens will reopen on Monday.
Ashok Ghorpade, chief superintendent, PMC’s garden department, said, “We will be opening 31 gardens, which are equipped with jogging tracks. Those who follow all norms will be allowed inside the garden. There is no seating on benches allowed and no using of gym equipment. Also, no groups to be allowed inside the gardens. Those above the age of 65 years, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years will not be allowed entry. We have appointed two personnel from the staff for scrutiny and have orders to ask people to leave for not following rules.”
Parshuram Kadam, a resident of Aundh, welcomed the reopening of the public gardens. He said, “We have been at home for a long time without any exercise, and are waiting to breathe in the open air.”
Regulars at Sarasbaug will be disappointed as this garden will be opened only in the second phase. “We are all regulars at Sarasbaug, but since the gardens were closed, we have found alternative ways to keep fit. We are happy that this unlock will see other gardens opening up, after all the only way we can keep our mind and body fresh and healthy is by exercising,” said Anand Saraf.
{{/usCountry}}Regulars at Sarasbaug will be disappointed as this garden will be opened only in the second phase. “We are all regulars at Sarasbaug, but since the gardens were closed, we have found alternative ways to keep fit. We are happy that this unlock will see other gardens opening up, after all the only way we can keep our mind and body fresh and healthy is by exercising,” said Anand Saraf.
{{/usCountry}}In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the PMC had closed all its gardens and parks from March 23. After the restrictions were eased, PMC reopened 33 gardens on June 3, 2020, for two hours in the morning and evening, for walking and jogging. As citizens were violating Covid norms, PMC decided to close the gardens after a week.
The gardens again reopened on November 1, 2020. In the first phase, it was 81 and after that, 60. In February 2021, 141 gardens were reopened. Then in March 2021 as the second wave kicked in, all the gardens were closed again.
31 gardens reopening are:
Damodar Vagaskar udyan (garden/park), Koregaon park, lane 6,
Mangal Prakash udyan, B T Kawde road
Aayappa udyan, Tingrenagar
Lumbini udyan, MHB colony, Yerawada
Pragati udyan, Tingrenagar
Rohan Jagdish Shinde udyan, Dhanori,
Surendra Hasraj Anand udhyan, Dhanori
Swami Vivekanand udyan, Vimannagar (only jogging track)
Damodar Ravji Galande Patil joggers‘ park, Kalyaninagar
Bhaskarraoji Sakhoji Shinde, Chandannagar,
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj udyan, Wadgaonsheri
Marutirao Gaikwad udyan, Aundh
Sanjay Mahadev Nimhan, Pashan,
Vithoba Balaji Murkute, Baner,
Jaibhavani udyan, Sutarwadi,
Panchavati, Panchvati
Sambhajiraje udyan, Shivajinagar
Kamla Nehru park, Erandwane
Hirwai garden, Prabhat road
Bhimsen Joshi udyan, Bhusari colony
Tatyasaheb Thorat udyan, Kothrud
Pradeep Thatwade, Karve nagar
Dr Shamaprasad Mukherjee udyan, Pathwardhan baug
Pruthak Barate udyan, Warje
Raja Mantri, Erandwane
Baburao Walvekar udyan, Saharkar nagar
Ahilyabai holkar udyan, Katraj
Sinhagad Vikas udyan, Wadgaon
Hemant Karkare udyan, satavwadi
Swami Vivekanand udyan, Kondhwa
Udaan Jaivividha Udyan, Viman nagar