Banabitan set for facelift to attract more visitors

Kolkata: The state Forest department is planning to beautify Banabitan, popularly known as Central Park in Salt Lake, to make it more attractive for the people. State Forest minister Rajib Banerjee, minister of state for Forest Sujit Bose and senior officials of the Urban Forestry wing of the department visited the park on Tuesday afternoon and had a preliminary discussion on the park's overhaul.

"The park is located at the heart of Salt Lake and has a natural forest look on one side and facilities of a modern park on the other side. We are working on a plan to beautify it further," said Banerjee.

Bose had proposed for the beautification of the park as it falls under his Assembly constituency. The park is spread across an area of 70 acres and is the second-largest open space in the 'City of Joy' after the Maidan.

It is a favourite hangout place for couples and also a major attraction for the tree-lovers of the city with a plethora of flora inside it.

The park is built around an expansive waterbody. There is a bridge which connects one side of the lake to an island which has a pagoda. The lake serves as a haven for aquatic birds like the lesser whistling duck, common moorhen, egrets, cormorants and other species.

Banabitan also has a children's park, a butterfly garden, a medicinal garden and a nursery from where flowers are sold. Moreover, a fishing event is held once a year.

"We have already decided to overhaul the condition of the road inside the park which has been damaged. The existing children's park will also be overhauled," said Bose.

The department has plans to set up a Nature Interpretation Centre inside Banabitan, the DPR for which has already been prepared.

"We have plans to clean up the water body and make it more attractive so that more birds particularly the migratory ones turn up during winter," an official said.

It may be mentioned that the Parks & Gardens circle under the state

Forest department is responsible

for maintenance of 56 parks across the state, among which Banabitan

and Eden Gardens are located in

the city.