Park Built at Rs 50 Lakh in Nalanda Falls Into Disrepair Just a Year After CM Nitish Kumar’s Inauguration

Nalanda, Bihar: In a shocking display of administrative neglect, a park built at a cost of Rs 50 lakh under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has fallen into disrepair just a year after its grand inauguration by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The ‘Social Upliftment’ park, which was inaugurated on 21 February 2025 during the CM’s ‘Pragati Yatra’, has now become a breeding ground for wild grass and shrubs, overshadowing its intended purpose of serving as a social space for villagers.

Park in Shambles, Used for No Purpose
The park, which was created to offer a venue for community gatherings, walks, and social events, now lies abandoned. The paving blocks installed throughout the park have been overtaken by bushes, blocking pathways and rendering the area inaccessible. The neglected condition has created a perfect environment for the growth of venomous creatures, which has deterred local residents from even approaching the park. What was once designed as a proud development project is now a stark symbol of government waste.

No Maintenance, No Staff
Arun Kumar Sinha, the village head, raised serious concerns about the administration’s neglect. He claimed that he had requested the local authorities to assign two gardeners for the park’s maintenance, but his request was dismissed. Without proper staff to care for the park, this substantial government investment has been left to deteriorate rapidly. Furthermore, the payment for a nearby pond constructed under the MGNREGA scheme remains pending, causing other associated development works to come to a halt.

Political Irony: An ‘Ideal Village’ Gone Wrong
The situation is made even more ironic by the fact that the Naland Panchayat, where the park is located, is being ‘adopted’ by JD(U) MP Kaushalendra Kumar as part of his initiative to create an ‘ideal village’. The state government’s monitoring systems and the local administration’s inefficiency are now under scrutiny, with the park’s failure undermining the credibility of one of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s flagship projects. Despite being one of the government’s key initiatives, the project has deteriorated in less than a year.