Work on phase II of Central Park in Kharghar yet to begin

CIDCO officials say the project has been facing major barrier every now and then

Veda Ramaswamy, Kharghar

May 27, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbaikars’ thrilled wait for their dream of Asia’s largest garden, the Central Park in Kharghar, to turn into a reality has been prolonged further. The project which was slated to be completed by May, 2011 is still in its Phase I work. According to the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) officials, the Phase II of the project has been facing a major barrier and is yet to take off. The Phase I work is expected to be completed by July, 2011.

The work on Central Park, which has been envisaged to take the satellite city on the international map due to its inspiration from Hyde Park in London and Central Park in New York, has been divided into two phases for better efficiency. Phase I comprises of active recreational aspects in sector 23 while Phase II consists of passive recreation parks in sector 24 and active recreational features in sector 25. The phase II of construction work has hit a major hurdle in its execution and is hence yet to commence, say CIDCO officials. “The work on Phase II of the Central Park has not yet begun. It has faced a major obstruction as the proposed route for Navi Mumbai Metro Rail is crossing through sector 24. Since the land for both the projects are overlapping, an alternate plan for the park has to be devised. Only then will the work of Phase II commence,” CIDCO’s executive engineer KO Chaudhari said. A meeting is going to be held soon between the authorities of the two projects to formulate an alternate plan. Subsequently, the time period for the completion of the project can be estimated, added Chaudhari.

Phase I of the project too has incurred a delay in completion. The construction work of the ambitious project of CIDCO, spread over 80 hectares of land, had begun four years ago. “Shortage of sand is the main reason why the work has slowed down. Government does not allow extraction of sand. We had the sand transported from Gujarat. This caused a lot of delay. Now monsoon is in the offing too. The progress is likely to be mired further. But as of now, only 20% of Phase I work remains,” said Chaudhari. Phase I is estimated to be concluded within two months.

The amphitheatre, Hasta Mudra Park, Indian Musical Instrument Park, Theme Park based on dance which includes 60 statues of various Indian dance forms has been completed successfully, all of which are a part of Phase I’s active recreational aspects in sector 23. “Other features of the Central Park like the revolving restaurant, conservatory, Heritage Centre are in charge of private participation (POT) and not with us. They are being built independently,” said a CIDCO official.

Authorities have estimated the overall budget of Phase I to be around 80 crores. Madav Consultants are in charge of the architectural design and planning of the project while it is being executed by CIDCO. CIDCO officials are planning to set up an agency named O&M in Kharghar to look after the ticketing, operations and maintenance of the Central Park, once its construction is concluded.