Karimnagar Municipal Corporation’s negligence halts disability park construction

Karimnagar: Ina glaring example of administrative negligence, the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation has failed to commence the construction of the much-anticipated Special Disability Park, a project designed to cater specifically to children with disabilities. Despite the passage of 24 months since the tender for the project was invited, there has been no progress in the construction.

In the financial year 2020-21 the authorities issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) tender notice seeking to appoint a consultancy to construct a special park for disabled children in Karimnagar under Smart City Mission and prepare a detailed project report including estimates, detailed survey, preparatory design, and drawings, monitoring and tenders for park operation & maintenance for two years after completion of the project.

On March 14, 2022 for construction of Disability Park a tender notice has been issued with an estimated value of Rs 3.05 crore. The tender work was awarded to SRVS Industries, a contracting firm for Rs 2.99 crore.

So far 24 months have been completed from the date of inviting tender for the construction of the park but there is zero progress in the work. In the past, if the concerned authorities were asked, they said that the construction work would start soon.

Minutes from the 13th Board of Directors meeting of the Karimnagar Smart City Corporation on June 30, 2022, indicated that the project was at the site cleaning stage. By the 14th Board meeting on January 3, 2023, officials reported that the work order had been issued but subsequently canceled due to a land dispute over the government land allocated for the park. The Rs 3 crore initially allocated for the park was redirected to road and civil works.

In contrast, other Smart Cities like Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, and Chennai have successfully completed similar projects for disabled children. The failure in Karimnagar has raised numerous suspicions and concerns. Questions have arisen about whether the District Collector properly processed the necessary permissions for the park construction and whether the district administration made any efforts to resolve the land dispute.

In January-2024, a complaint was made to the Court of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, New Delhi by a prominent social activist Mohammad Shahabuddin from Karimnagar to conduct a comprehensive investigation and take legal action on the matter. Responding to the complaint, the Court on May 6, 2024 ordered to give an explanation within 30 days.

Speaking to The Hans India, Shahabuddin criticized the district administration for diverting funds meant for the Special Disability Park to other civil works, calling it a clear case of discrimination against children with disabilities.