SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, May 18: Dhanbad Municipal Corporation (DMC) finally succumbed to the pressure of Sadar MLA Raj Sinha and reduced the entry fee of the Golf Ground park within three days.
Town commissioner Satyendra Kumar issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday evening reducing the monthly pass charge of the park to Rs 100 from Rs 300 with immediate effect. However, DMC did not change the daily entry fee charge of Rs 15. The pass holder can walk in the park from 5 am to 8 am.
Having seen the public agitation over high entry fees, Sadar MLA Raj Sinha met the town commissioner on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum demanding free entry for morning walkers from 5 am to 8 am and reducing the monthly pass fees to Rs 100 from Rs 300.
Besides MLA, Congress district president Brajendra Prasad Singh, and former mayor Chandrashekhar Agrawal (park project is his brainchild) had also opposed the high entry fee of DMC.
Finally on the evening of Tuesday DMC issued a notification regarding lowering the monthly entry fee.
“Golf ground park has now become an asset of Dhanbad and for maintaining it, the entry fee of DMC is mandatory. Moreover, restriction on rowdy elements is also necessary as women, and girls also visit the park,” said Raj Sinha while welcoming the decision of DMC.
Since the Golf Ground is the lone public ground in the heart of the city where thousands of people throng for morning/ evening walks and boys/girls for playing. DMC has laid synthetic track, gym, swing riders, and park at the cost of over Rs 10 crores.
The town commissioner justifying the entry fee charge said that DMC has to pay Rs 1.5 lakh as a power bill per month. Rs 25,000 is spent on the water sprinkled on synthetic track and maintenance of garden and security. “When facilities are provided its charge would have to pay for maintaining the services,” said Satyendra Kumar.
