The landscape of neglect: Srinagar has 230 parks and 12 gardeners
Srinagar, Jul 13: Srinagar City was once defined by its lush parks and green spaces, adding charm to the new colonies and landmarks of older ones. The City has 230 big and small public parks under Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and just 12 gardeners for their maintenance. The result: parks have turned into grasslands, unkempt, untended, eye sores.
The severe shortage of staff for gardening in SMC and defunct infrastructure has remained an unaddressed issue, an official in Municipality said. He said that the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, that empowered urban local bodies to lead urban planning, was implemented in J&K in the last quarter of 2020. This resulted in 88 parks that were being maintained by the Department of Floriculture, Kashmir, to be transferred to SMC. “While in the Floriculture Department there were over 100 gardeners to maintain these spaces, only 20 were deputed to the SMC—most nearing retirement,” he said. Over the years, eight of these employees have retired, leaving just 12 gardeners to tend to Srinagar’s sprawling network of 230 parks. He said while there are 140 parks maintained by SMC on paper, over 100 have been added in the past few years.
The situation has worsened under the Smart City Project: the SMC’s responsibilities expanded beyond parks to include road medians and landscaping along major roads and flyovers. “With only 12 gardeners for 230 parks and new additions every month, it’s an impossible task,” said the senior SMC official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The irrigation systems and tanks are defunct in most parks, and we lack basic maintenance equipment. The parks are in shambles.”
The City residents lament the fall of Srinagar’s parks, once vibrant recreational hubs. “The lawn grass is gone, the weeds have overgrown, fences are broken and fountains are dry. We cannot even use the parks for walks as the pathways are crumbling,” said Asiya Jan, a Chanapora resident. She said in the absence of proper parks, children are forced to play on roads where their lives are at risk due to vehicular traffic. “These parks are our treasure, but they’re being left to rot.”
The SMC has not announced any long-term plan to address the staffing crisis or repair critical infrastructure like irrigation systems. Floriculture Officer SMC, Ms Ruqaya said the SMC has deployed 100 laborers for the upkeep of parks. “We have had this manpower with us for the past one month and we are offering them basic training to take care of the parks,” she said. She added that the administrative approval for maintenance of 140 parks had been received, and the upkeep of parks will be tendered out. “Everything will be on track then,” she said.
However, the City’s green spaces are expanding under the ambitious urban projects, and without intensive attention, resource allocation and prioritisation on these valuable assets, parks will continue to turn into the cess-pools of trash and symbols of neglect.
