Valley
Park turns into hangout place for drunks, drug users
The park, which was turned into a clean and green public area almost overnight during the Saarc Summit held in Kathmandu last year, now wears a deserted look.
Anup Ojha
Spread over an area of one ropani, the Jamal Park is attached to the northern part of the Rani Pokhari, another important landmark in the city, and is devoid of fence or wall. The park, which was turned into a clean and green public area almost overnight during the Saarc Summit held in Kathmandu last year, now wears a deserted look.
The place especially built as a public rest area from where one can catch a beautiful view of the historic Rani Pokhari has also turned into an open defection area for street children, porters and pedestrians and a hangout place for drunkards and drug users alike. A white signboard that has been placed in the middle of the park reads: “Let us keep our city clean. This place is under CCTV surveillance”. However, some pedestrians can be seen openly peeing in the park with little or no regard to the notice or a sense of public decency while few drunken people can be seen snoring away in the shades.
“I searched for a toilet inside the park, but could not find one. And then I noticed that this public place is already littered with human faeces,” said a middle-aged man strolling in the park.
Krishna Bahadur Singh Thakuri, a businessman who runs a small restaurant in Jamal, expressed dissatisfaction over the negligence shown by the KMC in general park maintanence and ensuring cleanliness. “KMC had planted flowers and trees in the park before the Saarc summit and seemed serious towards its maintenance. We were happy at KMC’s plans to turn a beautiful garden inside the park, but now all the plants and flowers have been destroyed due to lack of inspection and care,” said Thakuri.
Thakuri, who has been living in Jamal for nearly a decade, said the place has become a hub for drug users and earned notoriety as a bargaining place for prostitutes. Rabin Man Shrestha, Environment Division Chief at the KMC, said he is aware of how the condition at the park has deteriorated. “We will build a fence in the park and work towards its renovation within two months,” said Shrestha.