Walkers demanded the officials remove debris from Helipad Park so that they could walk on the premises amid huge trees planted and a serene environment created by then Collector Debabrata Kanta
Locals also demand the authorities to allow people to enter Circus grounds and Old High School grounds free of cost
KARIMNAGAR, FEBRUARY 16, 2025: A few of the regular morning walkers, mostly retired government employees and police personnel, were in for a rude shock on Sunday morning (February 16, 2025), as the gates were shut for them at the Collectorate office premises in Karimnagar town.
The watchmen guarding the premises said that the higher authorities had informed them to close the gates and not allow morning walkers into the premises on the pretext that some of the visitors were converting the Collectorate premises into open bars by consuming liquor in the open, creating nuisance until late hours, and causing embarrassing situations during the movement of district higher officials.
Even as the Telangana state government has set its sights on achieving ‘Arogya (healthy) Telangana state, is yet to address the issue of shrinking open spaces in Karimnagar town. Earlier, the Circus Grounds and the Government Old High School grounds were free for all entry for walking, playing various sports and learning to drive various vehicles.
Thanks to the illogical and visionless leaders, the spacious Circus grounds and Multi-Purpose school grounds were converted into paid parks denying the same to many of the people to walk on its premises free of cost. Irony is that the busy commercial establishments and hotels allow their customers to park vehicles on the roads causing traffic snarls free of cost, the visitors visiting the Circus and Old High School grounds have to shell out by paying parking fee also.
Incidentally, then Collector Debabrata Kanta, a visionary, had developed the Collectorate with beautification and the Helipad park about 25 years ago. He was instrumental in the construction of Ambedkar stadium by removing the encroachments, development of Ujwala park and Deer Park in the town. During those days, the officials had strived for the creation of lung spaces for the recreation of the people of the town.
With the Karimnagar town growing in leaps and bounds after converting it into a Municipal Corporation in the year 2005, the Congress government had widened the roads in the town in the name of ‘Mana Nagaram – Mana Karimnagaram’ in 2012 when Smita Sabharwal was the Collector.
But in the name of so-called Smart City project, the broad roads have turned into narrow as the authorities and visionless leaders had converted the 100-feet road into 50 feet and 50 feet road into 30 feet as they created footpaths and parking spaces. The authorities have only created the footpaths and parking spaces to allow traders and vendors to encroach the road and sell their products and cause traffic snarls. However, the officials do not focus on the removal of encroachments on footpaths and roads in the town. But, they were hurt to see few people walking on the Collectorate office premises and closed down the gates.
Ridiculing the Collectorate officials for closing the gates and denying them to walk on the premises, a bank official said that I had been walking at the Collectorate Helipad park for the last 25 years. In the name of the construction of a new Collectorate building, the debris was dumped on the Helipad park and denied the walkers the facility to walk amid lush green trees, which were otherwise planted by then Collector Debabrata Kanta, he said and demanded the district officials to remove debris from the Helipad park so that the morning walkers can walk without any hindrances.
Another walker Aleem said “if the district authorities are concerned about nuisance being created by visitors as they were urinating on the premises, then the authorities should make Sulabh complex free of cost. When the government distributes Re 1 a kg of rice why not declare free usage toilets”. He also reminded that the morning walkers are not creating any nuisance on the Collectorate premises unlike their own employees and Revenue shopping complex personnel.
