KARIMNAGAR, JANUARY 05, 2025: With the stage all set for the inauguration of the Old High School albeit multipurpose school grounds in the heart of Karimnagar town as ‘paid park’, the demand for declaring the park for free entry is gaining momentum with several NGOs and others demanding the government to declare the park as free-entry instead of collecting the fee for entry and parking of vehicles.
The Municipal corporation authorities had snatched away the lands belonging to the Old High School and converted the circus grounds into Jyothibha Phule grounds and collected huge money from the residents of the town for entering the park and parking vehicles.
Freshly, it had also decided to convert the Old High School grounds, which is stated to be the first school constructed by Nizam rulers in the year 1934, into paid parking evoking protests from various sections of society and demanding the authorities to declare it free entry for the benefit of the people of the town, who have been starving for lung-space in the fast-growing town.
The Circus grounds and Old High school grounds in the town were the only places for the people of the town to lung space and playground for playing various including cricket, football, hockey, and other games. The space was open for the conduct of exhibitions, circus, public meetings and other cultural events for the benefit of the people of the town.
Ironically, the so-called leaders aka former Karimnagar MP B Vinod Kumar had converted the spacious grounds into ‘paid parks’ for obvious reasons which are better known to those leaders and denying the open place for the people to play, walk or organise cultural events etc. Already, the MCK which had encroached the government lands viz Circus Grounds and converted it into the park and collected fees from the people entering the park, had now freshly invited tenders for opening Old High school grounds in Karimnagar town.
Hummara Unnath Marg (HUM) voluntary organisation founder Dhanapuri Sagar said that on paper there are 44 municipal parks in Karimnagar, but only a few are visible to the people of the town. If the MCK is having guts, let it open all the 44 Municipal parks in the town and show its dedication and integrity, he said and found fault with the MCK for collecting the entry fee from the people for entering into Circus grounds and Old High school grounds, which are not the properties of the MCK.
How can the MCK collect entry fee and parking fees from the people of the town to enter the park maintained by them when the traders, hoteliers and others encroach roads and footpaths and cause inconvenience to the road users and traffic snarls in the town, he questioned. Mr Sagar also threatened to launch agitations demanding the government to provide free entry to municipal parks in the town.
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