Closure of Jubilee Park gates irks morning walkers

Morning walkers on Monday were surprised to see the entry gates of Jubilee Park closed as part of the illumination being carried out for the Founder's Day (March 3) celebration. The private security guards deployed at the park stopped over 100 morning walkers who tried entering the park.

Jusco officials had however announced that the Jubilee Park will be closed for ongoing electrical work for the Founder's Day celebrations. Today a notice written in Hindi saying that 'the park is closed for illumination from February 26 to March 6 and entry to the park in the said period is not allowed was pasted. Visitors can enjoy the illumination from March 3 and March 5.

As the news of protest spread, Jamshedpur West MLA and State Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Saryu Roy visited one of the entry gates of Jubilee Park near the Centre for Excellence and took stock of the situation.

"The morning walkers should be allowed to enter the park. They have already done the barricading. I will look into the matter and will discuss it," said Roy.

A group of morning walkers including some members of the Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) also met Jusco managing director Ashish Mathur requesting him to look into the problem.

“It is for the first time that such a step has been taken. There are people who have been taking a walk for the past many years. He said that opening the gates would not be possible but they can find an alternative. However, all morning walkers are hit and have not accepted the complete closure. We have also suggested if they can keep the main switches off for two hours in the morning," said SCCI president Ashok Bhalotia who protested the closure in the morning also met Mathur today in his office.

A gift to the citizens of Jamshedpur by Tata Steel on the occasion of its golden jubilee in 1958, the 237.75- acre jubilee perk, modelled after Brindavan Gardens in Mysore, is considered the green heart of the city.

“We had informed the district administration about the decision on park’s gates being closed between February 15 and March 7. This was necessary as some crucial electrical wirings and cables will be carried by large number of electricians and artisans from Chandannagore(Bengal) for illumination work to be carried out in view of Founder’s Day celebration and there are security and safety concerns not only for the artisans but also for commuters travelling on this road. Though we were allowing pedestrians and morning walkers but now the wires are laid and structures are put up so we will close the park for them too,” said an official of Jusco.