Millennium Park Jamshedpur’s open-air gym, jogging track and skating rink have fallen into disrepair, with visitors warning that rusted and faulty equipment could injure residents who use the Telco park for daily exercise. Tata Motors, which gifted the park to residents, has acknowledged the problems and said they will be resolved soon.
Visitors said several machines, including riders, air walkers, chest presses and pull-up bars, are either defunct or affected by rust and technical faults. They claimed that parts of the park’s facilities have remained in poor condition for nearly two years, raising concerns among senior citizens, women and youngsters who regularly use the space.
The park is used by residents of Telco, Birsanagar, Kharangajhar, Ghorabandha and nearby areas. Hundreds of people reportedly visit it in the morning and evening for walking and exercise. Residents said damaged equipment could fail during use and cause accidents if repairs are not carried out promptly.
Tata Motors deputy general manager Prantik Chakraborty said the company was aware of the problems. “The problems at the park will be resolved soon,” he said, according to the report.
Residents, however, said similar assurances had not yet resulted in visible improvements. Shailesh Tiwary, a Telco Colony resident and founder of Millennium Park Family, a walker’s club, said visitors had repeatedly approached the company’s town administration officials. “Every time we approach the town administration officials of the company, we are given assurances that the problems will be addressed. Nothing has changed on the ground,” he said.
Visitors also raised concerns about security at the park. Tiwary said security guards were not present regularly and warned that inadequate security could allow anti-social elements to enter the premises. The concern adds an access and maintenance dimension to the wider problem, as the park is used by residents across several surrounding neighbourhoods.
Vashist Kumar, a 60-year-old resident of Ghorabandha, said Tata Motors had created the open-air gym for local residents but had not ensured its proper upkeep. He said most of the equipment had developed rust following the monsoon. Neelkamal Senapati of Birsanagar said a machine breaking while someone was exercising could result in an accident.
Tata Motors gifted Millennium Park to residents on March 3, 2016, to mark the 175th birth anniversary of Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. The company’s stated response indicates that repairs are planned, but the report does not specify which equipment will be replaced, the extent of the work or a completion deadline. The immediate next step is the promised resolution of the park’s maintenance problems.
