The Last Playground 5 | When Even The Sensory Park Built For Divyang Children In Odisha Is Rusting & Crumbling
Across Bhubaneswar, Puri, Berhampur and Cuttack, Odisha's public parks tell a larger story of compressed childhoods, broken infrastructure and administrative neglect.
Published : May 29, 2026 at 9:05 AM IST
Bhubaneswar/Puri/Berhampur/Cuttack: A park built for children who struggle to access public spaces should ideally be a refuge. Sadly, it is not.
It may be painted in calming colours, lined with textured pathways, equipped with safe play structures, and beautifully designed - but if the children with disabilities for whom it was built cannot laugh here without barriers, how does the park serve its purpose?
Welcome to Bhubaneswar's Sensory Park, where you stand at the locked gate, see damaged equipment, overgrown vegetation, and unsettling silence - even though the space was meant to be filled with the laughter of Divyang children.
Opened in May 2022 in the Shahid Nagar area, the Sensory Park was envisioned as a dedicated public space for the challenged children - a one-of-its-kind initiative in the city. But a couple of years down the line, the park presents a painful contradiction - a space created to provide safety and inclusion has turned inaccessible and unsafe.
Large trees have been uprooted. Bushes and shrubs have occupied almost all sections of the premises. Play equipment is in shambles. Swings are rusted while games designed to stimulate children’s senses have crumbled by sun, rain and dust.
Parents and local residents also expressed concerns about stray dogs roaming inside and around the premises.
"We were happy when this park was inaugurated thinking that it would be a blessing for children with special needs. But most of the time, the gate is locked. When we bring children, the watchman asks us for an application from the concerned school. Many are returning from outside the park when goods worth lakhs of rupees are being destroyed inside. The authorities need to pay attention to this,” said local resident Sasmita Das.
The Sensory Park is just one incident of a neglected children’s space. There are scores of instances in Odisha’s cities where safe childhood spaces in urban areas are a rarity. The city growing vertically is also widening horizontally taking all and any space available for building concrete structures. The result is limited open playgrounds and public play areas.
Parents feel children remain glued to mobiles and computer screens because running, climbing, exploring and learning through play have become a thing of the past with parks and playgrounds showing signs of neglect.
A majority of parks have tell-tale signs of abandonment - broken awnings, cracked slides, rusting iron bars, damaged flooring and poor lighting.
According to official figures, Bhubaneswar has around 200 parks. Parks larger than 2.5 acres fall under the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), while 184 parks are maintained by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Yet many of these public play spaces are shadowed by maintenance concerns.
Standing inside Indira Gandhi Park, parent Ghulam Moiuddin described why parks matter so deeply in modern urban life.
“Parks are badly needed in cities. Especially for children living in apartments, parks are the only place where they can play in the open air which is essential for the physical and mental development of children. But due to the lack of proper maintenance of the equipment installed in the parks, we have to keep an eye on the children while they are playing,” he said.
Some parents complained of children getting injured while playing because floor tiles have loosened or come off entirely. In some parks, inadequate lighting has triggered concerns about anti-social activity after dark.
Moiuddin stressed another concern of emergency preparedness.
"Since most parks have iron-made equipment, maintenance should be of utmost importance because rainwater accelerates rusting. Every park should have a proper first-aid system because accidents can happen at any moment,” he argued.
The conversation around parks will not be complete without highlighting health concerns about children developing sedentary lifestyles.
Saurabh, who visits Forest Park every morning, sees the issue unfold daily. “Nowadays, children often spend time at home playing on mobile phones and computers. This is why obesity is rising among many children. No physical exercise and games makes most kids couch potatoes,” he warned.
Responding to concerns about maintenance, Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das said civic systems have been put in place to oversee park management.
“We have engaged self-help groups and resident welfare associations (RWAs) to maintain the parks under BMC. BMC has engaged a supervisor to monitor them periodically along with monthly payments. Our priority is to increase the green belt along with the safety of children,” said Mayor Sulochana Das.
But for families standing before locked gates or damaged play equipment, policy assurances and everyday experiences often feel far apart.
The writing on the wall is clear : Digital entertainment is increasingly sneaking into youngsters’ lives as physical play environments are deteriorating. Isn't it time to reverse the trend?
Puri | Crores Spent, Parks Left Neglected
In Puri, a city celebrated for tourism, leaves much to be desired when it comes to public spaces like parks, particularly for children. People tag it as abandoned investments and the picture corroborates years of neglect.
Local residents say many of those spaces which were created to give the children a space of their own to play, relax and enjoy today, stand damaged, overgrown and largely forgotten.
Play equipment in several parks has been destroyed. Wild vegetation has overtaken parts of park premises. In some places, overgrown surroundings have become habitats for snakes and reptiles. Residents said administrative neglect is the only reason these public parks are not in use.
The deterioration hits hard when viewed against the scale of public spending. Under the state government’s Mukta scheme, Rs 7.17 crore was sanctioned in November 2021 for the improvement of 25 kindergartens under Puri municipality through 205 projects. Around Rs 14 lakh was reportedly spent on each kindergarten.
The goal was to create functioning public spaces where children could play, communities could gather and residents could spend time outdoors.
Local resident Siddhaartha Roy recalled that vision and said, at a time when the government started the construction of kindergartens in various areas of Puri city three years ago, many government-occupied lands were rescued and children’s parks built. “The objective was to give young children space to play. Children could develop intellectually, physically and mentally. People can also pray in these places or just relax,” he said.
But, he argued, none of it could continue for long due to poor management.
“Many parks lie abandoned due to the poor management by Puri Municipality. Crores of rupees have been pumped in for construction of parks, but who is benefitting from it,” he questioned, adding that it is more disheartening that this is the state of affairs when Puri has been granted the status of a metropolitan municipality.
Calling for restoration of abandoned parks, he has requested district administration to take the matter up promptly. “Let them give the responsibility of managing the parks to some private companies or local club members. This will ensure that the parks are properly managed,” said Roy.
The problem extends beyond neighbourhood parks.
At Chakratirth Beach, a park built with tourism in mind has become an eyesore.
Construction of the Chakratirth Beach Park began in 2021 and was completed in 2023 at an estimated cost of around Rs 3 crore. The park was equipped with facilities designed in a way that both tourists and local visitors can enjoy. It had changing rooms, toilets, drinking water systems, an amusement park, an open gym and play equipment for children.
But residents complain that the infrastructure remained unused.
More than three years after construction began, the park has still not fully opened for public use. In the absence of maintenance, gym equipment has deteriorated, children’s swings have rusted and basic facilities fallen into disrepair.
Changing rooms remain locked and so are the toilets. Women tourists reportedly struggle to change after sea bathing because facilities are unavailable.
Residents also point to safety fears. Damaged lighting has darkened sections of the area in the evening, while complaints have surfaced about anti-social behaviour, alcohol consumption, harassment and theft near the beach zone.
Hector Mishra, a Puri resident, believes the issue is lack of accountability in project implementation.
“Some incompetent officials are responsible for this. The Puri Metropolitan Corporation has been recognized but that does not change anything. The projects should be planned in a way that people benefit. Otherwise, projects worth crores of rupees will not benefit the people,” said Mishra with a piece of advice. “Hand over the management of the abandoned parks to local voluntary organizations and clubs. Maybe that will help manage things far better,” he suggested.
Responding to concerns, Puri Collector Dibyajyoti Parida acknowledged the maintenance challenges and outlined corrective steps.
“We are giving importance to the maintenance of the parks. Now more people will be appointed and the cleanliness of the parks will be maintained. It has been decided to reopen the parks after repairing the infrastructure including play equipment,” he assured, fixing a timeline of a month. “I am sure the problems in the parks will be taken care of within the next month.”
For families waiting outside locked facilities or navigating damaged public spaces, the question remains whether repairs will arrive before another generation loses its playgrounds.
Berhampur | Parks That Survive Without Care
In Berhampur, parks remain an integral part of everyday city life though these do not have a very good story to tell.
In city parks, the usual sight is of morning walkers who gather early and elderly sitting in shaded corners. During evenings, parents bring young children for short outings. Even students spend some quiet moments away from crowded routines.
The major parks like Gandhi Park, Biju Patnaik Park, Ramalingam Pramod Garden and Nehru Park continue to draw visitors since municipal authorities and development agencies keep taking up improvement initiatives throughout the year.
But take a look beyond the city’s flagship parks, and you will know that things here do not have even the basic amenities. Most smaller parks, including children’s parks and neighbourhood recreation spaces, are deteriorating, underused or abandoned.
In Nehru Park, frequented by residents from Hilpatna and surrounding neighbourhoods, it is the same old story about ageing infrastructure, inadequate maintenance and growing safety concerns.
Frequent visitors say limited upkeep and wear and tear are affecting the quality of the space.
Suchitra Panda, a parent, said parks are not just for recreation. “They are important spaces that affect physical and mental development. But in many parks in the city, playground equipment is broken. Some areas are unsafe too. There is a need for regular maintenance of old equipment, installation of new play equipment, grass carpeting and more tree planting,” she said.
She also spoke about mosquitoes, snakes and other reptiles within the park precincts making it difficult for them to let children frequent such places. “For safety and a healthy environment, the administration should immediately focus on the maintenance and beautification of the parks,” she demanded.
Similarly, another parent, Amrita Panigrahi, regretted the limited areas dedicated for children to play in the city.
"I come with my child here but the space is very small and there is bad lighting. There is a need for fever blocks as children play on the ground in the park. Besides, cleanliness in the park is also important," said Amrita.
Students too express their frustration. Chitra Sethi, who visits parks for unwinding at different times, said infrastructure is bad but worse is the lack of maintenance of the existing facilities.
"Many pieces of equipment in the park are broken and there is a need for adequate lighting in the park reserved for children," she added.
The demands are nothing extraordinary. Asking for safer equipment, cleaner grounds, better lighting and functional maintenance are the most basic things that people demand. But when and how these will be executed in Berhampur remains to be seen.
Cuttack | When HC Steps Into the Playground
In Cuttack, concern over park conditions escalated to such an extent that matters reached the courtroom. Recently, the Orissa High Court took note of the lack of drinking water and other basic amenities across city parks maintained by the Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) and Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC). It had taken cognisance earlier too.
During proceedings before the bench comprising Justice Krishna Ram Mohapatra and Justice V. Narasimha, the court expressed dissatisfaction over conditions reported in city parks, particularly the absence of drinking water, clean toilets and essential facilities.
Concerns were also raised regarding sanitation and lighting deficiencies in all the parks including Biju Patnaik Park.
Officials assured the court that corrective measures would be taken and it will be ensured that drinking water and sanitation facilities are made available across parks. Timelines for implementation and reporting were also laid down.
For something as basic as parks, if legal intervention is the only way out, it is well fathomable how grave the situation is in the Millennium city Cuttack.
On being questioned, CMC Mayor Subash Singh pointed to financial constraints behind many of the challenges. “While there are more than a hundred parks in the city, the CMC does not have sufficient budget to maintain them. We will still work to complete equipping the remaining parks where there are complaints and address maintenance issues,” he assured.
Across Bhubaneswar, Puri, Berhampur and Cuttack, the only and common concern is, children are deprived of their own space - where they can play and live their age.
The deepest irony may still belong to Bhubaneswar’s Sensory Park.
For millennial children growing up between concrete expansion, digital dependence and limited outdoor freedom, parks are no longer casual public amenities. They may be among the last remaining playgrounds of urban childhood.
(With inputs from Bikash Kumar Das from Bhubaneswar, Narayan Sahoo from Cuttack, Samir Kumar Acharya from Berhampur and Shakti Prasad Mishra from Puri)
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