TREADING THE PRIVATE PATH: Mohammad Ali Park, on Chittaranjan Avenue. Picture by Amit Datta

After Citizens’ Park, the civic authorities will hand over Mohammad Ali Park to a private organisation for upkeep.

The handover, however, will take place only after the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) has revamped the park.

The authorities have been holding talks with various private groups before selecting who will get the responsibility.

Stressing the need for proper maintenance of the park on Chittaranjan Avenue, mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya said: “The park is one of the most renowned ones in Calcutta, but ill-maintained. Several people from across the city and its adjoining areas visit the park during the Puja. It needs special attention.”

The civic body has decided to hand over the responsibility for maintaining the parks to private bodies, as it does not want to shoulder the financial burden for the upkeep.

“Maintenance of the parks has always been a cause of concern for the CMC. So, we plan to hand over prominent parks to private agencies, including NGOs,” the mayor said.

For this, the mayor has attended several meetings with members of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), NGOs and private advertising agencies, requesting them to get involved in the upkeep of the parks.

Bengal Shelter came forward and took the responsibility of maintaining Citizens’ Park, after International Plantation Club, of Sarat Bose Road, failed to submit a detailed beautification scheme.

Officials said the civic body used to spend around Rs 1 crore to maintain Citizens’ Park. Compared to that, it has spent almost nothing for Mohammad Ali Park, which is why the civic authorities have decided to revamp it before handing it over to a private group.

Along with the parks, the CMC will also hand over roadside gardens and islands to the private parties and NGOs.

The civic body spends almost Rs 2 lakh every year on the maintenance of over 100 islands and roadside gardens in the city.

“We will hand over the parks and gardens on condition that they will not be used for any commercial purpose without our consent,” said mayoral council member (parks and gardens) Faiyaz Ahmed Khan.