A fresh controversy has come up in Cantonment area of Jalandhar after people were allegedly stopped from entering the popular Jawahar Park located in Jalandhar Cantt and the issue has now been raised by Puneet Bharti Shukla who is one of the civil members of Cantonment Board, Jalandhar.
According to Shukla local residents have been facing difficulty in entering Jawahar Garden-Vacchani area for the past several days and claimed that people who regularly visit the park for morning and evening walks are now being stopped from entering the premises.
Jawahar Park is considered one of the most popular and well-maintained public spaces in Jalandhar Cantt and every day people from nearby areas and different parts of city visit the park for walking, exercise, relaxation and spending time with family and the park is known for its clean and peaceful atmosphere and is especially popular among elderly people and morning walkers.
While speaking on the matter Puneet Bharti Shukla alleged that Local Military Authority is acting arbitrarily and that provisions of Cantonments Act are being ignored and he further claimed that Executive Officer of Cantonment Board is remaining a silent spectator despite objections being raised by civil members on several issues.
Shukla said that stopping people from entering the park is unfair and against rights of the public and also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” and said that preventing citizens from accessing such a public recreational place goes against the spirit of unity and openness and while sharing an example Shukla claimed that during a recent incident three elderly women who had gone to the park for a morning walk were allegedly told to return and were not allowed to enter the area. He said this has upset many local residents who have been visiting the park for years.
He further stated that respected people from good families regularly come to the park for walks and fresh air but now they are allegedly not being entertained and are being denied entry and according to him residents from all four directions of Cantonment area visit the park daily making it an important public space for the local community.
Shukla also informed that a written complaint regarding the issue has now been submitted to Chief Executive Officer of the Cantonment Board Jalandhar Cantt and through the complaint he has demanded that public access to the park should be restored and that residents should not face unnecessary restrictions.
