Our Secret Garden Not Too Far From Where We Live
Waiting To Be Inaugurated So That We Can Go And See
Volume 1 Issue 16
I went there this morning. The access gate was closed and there were only stray dogs inside. I tried to squeeze through the gap in the two gates secured by a chain but could not manage to. Not one to easily give up,, I walked on the nicely paved footpath outside towards Saket. I soon found a section with paving work on and the boundary wall replaced by tin sheets to facilitate vehicular movement. I jumped over the sheets and got in.
The place is all green with trees planted as part of a plan but right now vegetation growing wild helped by recent rains. There is also a path laid out which due to non maintenance over past three years is overgrown with weeds. I walked around and could go to the edge of the planting where one can overlook the Thane Creek flowing by. The water level was down today and one could see the creek bed. Also birds, mostly crows and the black surface of the creek bottom.
I walked around a bit admiring the different trees planted. I got bitten by mosquitoes which are plenty there even during the day. I then turned back and returned to my car and drove back home.
This story is not intended to be a suspense thriller so let me reveal what I am talking about. It is the Late Uttam Rao Patil Biodiversity Park at Saket running along the Thane Creek. A very well kept secret about Rustomjee Urbania is that we are walking distance from this amazing green place also called Thane Biodiversity Park.
The entrance of the Thane Biodiversity Park clicked on 13 Jul 2019
When we moved to Azziano A wing in June 2016 a news article indicated that the park would be soon open but till date three years later the park has not been officially inaugurated. That is how things work in India and closer home at Thane.
The Thane Biodiversity Park has a very interesting story behind it. The place on which it has been laid out was the creek shore and as happens in Mumbai region favoured ground for dumping debris and trash. With the initiative and support of the then collector of Thane Ashwini Joshi, the Social Forestry Department starting in February 2016 converted a trash dump into a green space. When planned the park was to have butterfly garden, mangrove walkway, cactus garden, medicinal garden and plant nursery. Right now, the structures in the park are incomplete and it is over run by weeds due to lack of maintenance.
Sunrise from inside the Thane Biodiversity Park clicked on 13 Jul, 2019
Set up by the PWD at a cost of only INR 2.5 crores (less than what many apartments cost in Thane in Jul 2019) the park is not open and being used for a very funny reason: it has NOT been inaugurated. The ministers who could throw it open have supposedly been busy this past 3 years and unable to spare time. And frequent elections at the state and centre meant during certain times the Model Code of Conduct proscribed inauguration of this park by a politician.
We have to wait for the Thane Biodiversity Park to be inaugurated - after it has missed deadlines for being thrown open for past 3 years. When ready do expect this to be our Oxygen Generator and a place to realax amidst trees, birds, insects and the Thane Creek flowing by. The boat jetty for the waterway link to Navi Mumbai from Saket is likely to be close by too.
Till then, I do have an alternative for you.
Follow the link for TMC Biodiversity Park when you search on Google. Thane has another park with the word biodiversity in its name - the TMC Biodiversity Park located near Kasarvadavli. That is an interesting one too made after the theme of a Harappan town with replicas of seals found at Harappan sites. It also has replicas of sculptures and structures found while excavation of Harappan civilization sites. It has well maintained garden, play areas for children and good pathway.
Do petition the present Thane Collector Rajesh Narvekar requesting him for throwing open the Thane Biodiversiry Park to the public.