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BMC's lax approach leaves Rs 42 crore Powai garden in shambles

Residents and daily joggers visiting the garden in the morning and evening feel that while the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation did make an effort to plan a beautiful garden at the cost of crores of rupees, it failed in maintaining the space.

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(Top) A couple walks past a broken lamp post; and jagged ends of electric wires stick out like sore thumbs in the Powai garden
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Barely four years after it was inaugurated, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Garden at Powai is in shambles. The garden, developed at a cost of Rs42 crore, plunges into darkness once the sun sets, because the lighting is in poor shape. Civic authorities have no answer as to when the bulbs will be replaced and the electricity will be restored.

Residents and daily joggers visiting the garden in the morning and evening feel that while the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation did make an effort to plan a beautiful garden at the cost of crores of rupees, it failed in maintaining the space.

For the past month, the power supply to the garden has been intermittent. While the local ward office did not deal with the issue, claiming it had no jurisdiction over the garden, even the Gardens Department did not own up the maintenance part, since the Powai Lake precinct falls under the water department of the BMC. The water department seems to be lax about the upkeep of the garden ever since it was thrown open to the public.

"What is the point of spending taxpayers' money when they cannot maintain what they have built? The musical fountains were supposed to be the highlight of the garden when visitors came in the evening. But thanks to the ill-equipped maintenance department of the BMC, the garden remains unattended to," said a regular jogger at the park.

A civic activist from the area said that the security at the garden is so poor that even the bulbs were stolen from the lamp posts after the power supply to the garden was disrupted. "Taking advantage of the darkness, hooligans, urchins and drug addicts have made the place their den in the evening. Even when the park is closed for the public, they are inside the garden. The police on patrol find it difficult to check, as there is no light," said a civic activist who has made several attempts to get the power restored and stolen bulbs replaced.

While Hydraulic Engineer Ashok Tavadia professed his ignorance about the issue, an officer from the Hydraulic Department said that the power supply was cut off because of digging work done by a private utility agency. "Talks with MSEB for power restoration are ongoing, and MSEB is working on it. Soon the power supply will be restored and we will replace the bulbs", said the officer.

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