No longer are they places for children to play in the swings, women to go for walks, men to meditate and grandparents to socialise. They have become places where couples, desperately in love, spend an evening causing much discomfort to the families around. The City parks have increasingly become lovers’ points.
Parks used to be for families to meet up and kids to splash in the open fresh air. But the youth’s need to spend time together has taken precedence over the families, a peek into the City parks reveal.
Indira Park. The wide vistas of trees have become a favourite haunt for couples who hide behind the trees or sit on the bench or lie down on the lawns with little care in the world. Families shy away from the scenes and what is left is sun-baked open.
Many seniors (who ironically forget they crossed the stage) insist the parks are meant for families and not for lovers. “There is no place left for the families in City to go for an outing. Step into any park and you can see young couples all around in close embrace. With large establishments eating up the space open places are few and parks are the only alternative for our kids so that they can spend some quality time and have fun with their friends. Unfortunately, these parks are no more decent,” said Ranjeet Sethi, resident of Banjara Hills.
Name any park, JVR, Sanjeevaiah Park, Lumbini Park or even the Necklace Road stretch, they are not comfortable for children or family, people say. They are also not good for those who want to commune with nature. The worst thing is there is no moral understanding about the parks’ purpose.
“A joggers’ park for the elite by morning turns into a dating place by evening. This park has now become an eyesore. You can see couples necking and kissing in the backdrop of the park’s lush greenery.
I used to visit any of these parks with my family members on any weekend but with these parks now occupied by couples, we are left with only restaurants in the city” opines KN Kaur, a retired army person, who takes his granddaughter to JVR Park in evening so that she can spend time with her friends.
However, director urban Forestry, Venkat Rao is unaware about the issue. “I never got a complaint regarding this. If any complaints comes to us we will look into the matter.” he says uninterested.
–Courtesy:Postnoon