The condition of the city’s Traffic Park has once again come under public scrutiny, with citizens voicing strong dissatisfaction over the quality and extent of redevelopment work carried out at the facility. Once a well-maintained and popular space for children, families and senior citizens, the park today reflects neglect, incomplete execution and fresh damage, raising serious civic concerns. Despite redevelopment being shown as undertaken, ground reality suggests that only a fraction of the promised work has actually been completed. Barely around five per cent of the concrete bricks inside the park appear to have been replaced, while large sections remain untouched. The additional bricks meant for replacement have reportedly been shifted out of the premises, even as the work is being projected as finished. Painting work too appears largely symbolic.

 

Fresh traffic signal markings are visible only at the main gate, while the interior areas show negligible improvement. Instead of better facilities, the work has allegedly caused further deterioration. Pathways inside the park have reportedly been damaged during the erection of signboards, creating inconvenience and safety concerns for regular users. The Traffic Park earlier served both educational and recreational purposes, attracting thousands of visitors and supporting small livelihoods linked to its footfall. Over the years, however, its upkeep has steadily declined. After being taken over for driver training activities by an NGO, residents allege that the park’s original public character has been compromised, with redevelopment existing largely on paper.

 

Citizens have now appealed to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation Commissioner to personally inspect the Traffic Park and assess the actual status of the work. A physical inspection, they say, is essential to ensure that payments to contractors or implementing agencies are made strictly in proportion to work genuinely executed and that public funds are not misused. The issue underlines the need for tighter monitoring of civic projects, especially public spaces meant for community use and senior citizens.