KARIMNAGAR, MARCH 20, 2025: Demand for the reopening of the Helipad Park albeit Centenary Park on the premises of the Collectorate in Karimnagar town is increasing by walkers as the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar had converted the spacious Circus Grounds and Old High School Grounds as ‘paid parks’ for the visitors for ‘obvious reasons’ and better known to the leaders who had done it.
There were visionary administrators, who had created huge lung space in Karimnagar for the benefit of the people of the town, which is growing in leaps and bounds, who created Helipad Park which was later turned a Centenary park as part of the centenary celebrations of Karimnagar town in the year 2005.
Then Collector Debabrata Kanta developed the Helipad park by constructing three helipads to ensure that the Prime Minister, Defense Minister, who usually come in three helicopters to land comfortably amid lush green lawns and plants in the park on the premises of the Collectorate.
Later, as part of Centenary celebrations, it was renamed Centenary park with the MCK setting up some children playing items such as swings, etc. Then district Collector Sumita Dawra took up a massive plantation of the Helipad Park by planting the neem trees on the park premises, which had grown into huge trees providing fresh air to the walkers.
Thanks to the so-called ‘visionless’ leaders, they had demolished the Collectorate office complex, which is stated to be the first integrated Collectorate office complex in the integrated Andhra Pradesh state, in the name of construction of new Collectorate complex for ‘obvious reasons’. Instead of constructing the new Collectorate office complex on the premises of Satavahana University Pharmacy College premises on the picturesque shores of the LMD reservoir, the then rulers had preferred to demolish the Collectorate complex in the name of construction of the new Collectorate. It is surprising to note that the Collectorate complexes in several districts were constructed on the outskirts of the existing towns such as Siddipet, Sircilla, Jagtial, Peddapalli and more…
The executing agency for the construction of the new Collectorate office had demolished the old Collectorate and dumped the debris on the premises of lush green lawns of Helipad Park and denied entry of walkers onto the premises since last year. Even as the building is ready for inauguration, the agency has not removed the debris from the Helipad premises.
With the conversion of Circus Grounds and Old High School grounds as ‘paid parks’ demanding the walkers to shell out Rs 10 per day to enter the premises, the demand is growing for the opening of the Helipad park amid lush green trees and lawns. Lok Satta udyama Samstha Karimnagar town convenor KS Narayana said that the district administration should ensure that the Helipad park is declared open to the walkers by recreating the walking tracks, children’s playing items etc.
