3 weeks ago
Kolkata's Elliot Park back in view after fences removed
There is a green park in the Indian city of Kolkata called Elliot Park, and people love its trees and grass.
Many years ago, a tall metal fence was built around the park.
The fence meant that people walking by could no longer see inside.
It was put up so that an important leader could visit the park without being seen by the public.
Many people were sad because the fence hid the park's beauty.
Then a new leader, Suvendu Adhikari, came into power.
He ordered workers to take the fence down, and they did.
He also shared photos on social media showing the park before and after the removal.
Now everyone can see the park's greenery again, and morning walkers are very happy.
View-blocking tin fences and corrugated sheets around Elliot Park in central Kolkata were removed from Thursday on the order of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The screens had been erected as a security measure so the public could not see then-Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her strolls in the park.
Reports differ on her visits: one account describes the park as the venue for her morning walk, while another says she visited mostly in the late afternoon or early evening between 2012 and 2014.
Adhikari shared before-and-after pictures on X, indirectly criticizing his predecessor and thanking the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, saying public property must remain open for the public.
Morning walkers, common people and civil society, who had earlier criticized the barricade, welcomed its removal.
- Who
- West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who ordered the removal; his predecessor, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee; and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, which carried out the work.
- What
- View-blocking tin fences and corrugated sheets around Elliot Park were removed, restoring public visual access to the park's greenery.
- Where
- Elliot Park in the Maidan area of central Kolkata, on the side facing Chowringhee Road.
- When
- From Thursday; the sheets were removed over the past two days following a prod from the top.
- Why
- The fence had been erected as a security measure so the public could not see the then-chief minister during her park visits; the new chief minister ordered its removal, saying the wealth of the people should remain open for the people.
Security rationale
Public openness rationale
Why the screens were erected
Security rationale
Police and civic body sources said the corrugated sheets were put up as a security measure to protect Mamata Banerjee, and public access to the park was restricted while she was inside.
Public openness rationale
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the tin fence hid the park's natural beauty from ordinary people so the previous government's leader would not be seen during her walks, and that public property must remain open for the public.
Key facts
- Park
- Elliot Park
- Location
- Maidan, central Kolkata, facing Chowringhee Road
- Action
- Removal of view-blocking tin fences and corrugated sheets
- Ordered by
- West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari
- Work carried out by
- Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC)
- Effective from
- Thursday
- Original purpose
- Security screen hiding former CM Mamata Banerjee from public view during her park visits
- Park opened
- December 2004 by then Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, a joint venture of Kolkata Police and Tata Steel
Quotes
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari
West Bengal Chief Minister
“The natural beauty, greenery and picturesque view of Elliott Park in the Maidan had, until now, been completely hidden from ordinary people by a tall tin fence on the side facing Chowringhee Road. It was done so that the general public could not see the honourable head of the previous government walk inside. The natural beauty, greenery and picturesque view of Elliott Park is again on full public view from today.”
telegraphindia.com
thehansindia.com
“My sincere thanks to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation for removing the tin fence. Public property must be open for the public.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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