S K Patil Udyan in south Mumbai opens after eight months

The S K Patil Udyan at Maharshi Karve Road between Charni Road and Marine Lines had a sole pun intended stirring moment on Tuesday evening The garden closed for an upgrade for more than eight months opened its gates to the public People can now use the walking path insideThis though is not the final inauguration cautioned BJP corporator Rita Makwana adding work is ongoing The walking track is complete so we have opened it to the locals Finishing touches are still to be given to certain parts and a formal opening is slated for May end after election resultsThe smell of fresh poha assailed the nostrils A 40yearold eatery called Sakhi Kutumb is a landmark within this iconic green park Sakhi Kutumbs workers were serving the snack to locals many of whom had received invitations on their whatsapp groups for the walkway openingS Salunkhe standing behind the counter said Our loyalists used to come here even though the park was closed Now it will be back to business she said as BJPs Asha M concurred when the allwomen workforce said we may have lost a little business but the facelift was neededVaishali Mayekar and Sandhya Jadhav locals who used to walk in the park in the mornings and evenings are delighted it has reopened We had to make do with walking in the lanes behind the park they said It was not the same Akash Purohit son of BJP MLA Raj Purohit said People can approach us if they have any suggestions From early reactions they seem to be happy and excitedTheftMakwana interjected that seating has been created for senior citizens who had asked for it We have two gazebos now The toilets inside the park have been redone and there is one for the disabled tooNot everybodys mood was as sunny as the poha they were digging into though Haresh Gohil resident from near C P Tank was irked that the park was closed for so many months This is the only garden in the area they should have kept a part of it open for the public That is the way things were done under Congress rule Gohils political statement irked a BJP worker who claimed The park was closed because during work we saw that people were filching fittings and other equipment even soil from the garden was taken he said dramatically while Gohil hotly contested thisSupervisor Santosh Gaikwad pointed towards a new skating rink for children The amphitheatre next to a study centre which is also part of the park was being worked on There is a new mural on a huge wall alongside it has a 3D effect said Gaikwad who walked this reporter through the garden pointing to a new drinking water fountainConcernsColaba resident Adi Daruwalla who was at the garden said this is the biggest garden in the vicinity and the opening of the walkway is certainly momentous See the zing all around said Daruwalla as three sprightly silverhaired gentlemen quaffed down kokum sharbat offered to the guests Makwana said Maintenance is a concern This garden has three gates and because of its access to the main road needs extensive security We have a problem with vagrants and littering is a worry We are going to have a game plan to tackle these she finishedCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates