Pokhran Road 2 gets a Green touch, Footpath Garden Opened

10th Apr, 2018

THANE : The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) inaugurated a unique footpath garden on Saturday alongside Pokhran Road 2. The garden is part of the beautification project that has been undertaken by the civic body in its road widening plan around a year ago.

The project has been implemented to beautify a one-km stretch at Pokhran Road 2 by installing a lawn, benches and other facilities for Thaneites thereby making the area the most sought after among Thaneites.

A civic official said, Since the city lacks green spaces, we wanted to beautify this particular footpath. The one-km garden is a place for residents to just relax. We have even constructed replicas of animals and insects. There are replicas of lady bugs, spider webs, monkeys sitting on trees, a honey comb, etc. to make it attractive for kids.

Over a decade ago, the same stretch, beginning at the mouth of the Gladys Alwares road up to Bethany Hospital was an abandoned, gloomy street with trucks and private buses parked at the sides. The desolate pocket, once incorporated with industries would often attract anti-social elements, making it unsafe for citizens to visit the spot after the sun sets.

Padmaja Pangam, resident of Siddhachal Complex said, Earlier, I found this road to be very lonely and would be scared to walk alone, especially the spot near the Glaxosmithkline Company. During afternoons, it used to be quiet and uncomfortable. Even though there was traffic in the evenings, pedestrians would hardly been seen. Now the situation has changed. The lanes have become alive and vibrant.

With newer construction projects pouring in, the formerly serene pocket in the interiors of the lake city has radically transformed into a real estate hub. The ongoing construction projects on the road have brightened the lanes of this stretch. Once the road widening work gets completed, the look will change immensely. Even though the dense jungle had to be chopped off to give way for concretisation, I feel the administration is trying to compensate for the loss of green cover in some way by planting shrubs on the dividers, said Radhika Padmanabhan, resident of Gladys Alwares Road.

 

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com