Since the day it was thrown open to the public on January 20, 2024, officials say the footfall at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Smriti Vanam (Memorial Park) has been more than their expectations.
The park has been registering around 4,000 footfalls on weekdays and more than 10,000 on weekends since January 20. Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar said the footfall had been more than what they had expected. “We have more than 30 security personnel posted on the park every day to manage the crowd,” he said.
Giving more details, District Fire Officer, VMC, D. Malyadri, who is also the in-charge of the site, said in the beginning, they used to see around 20,000 people, mostly tourists, coming on weekends. “Though the number has gradually decreased over the past two months, we still see a lot of tourists,” he said.
He added that once the construction work on a children’s park, food court, walking track and convention hall was completed, more people, especially from the city, could be expected to visit the park on an everyday-basis. The works are being undertaken by the nodal agency for the project, Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC).
The park, spread across 18.81 acres and built on the PWD Grounds (Swarajya Maidan), is a pleasant place for people to spend summer evenings, felt a few visitors. “It is good to have a go-to place in the city to wind down after a long day. I have seen many elderly persons and children here,” said a first-time visitor, Ratna Kumari, an ANM from Guntupalli, who spent nearly two hours at the park.
Some others felt that more benches need to be arranged when such a large tourist crowd was coming. To this, Mr. Malyadri said it might be a problem only when there was a heavy rush, during the evening hours, from 5 p.m. till its closing time at 7.30 p.m. “Moreover, there is a lot of place near the foodcourt which one can use.”
Others, including journalists, had also raised an objection over the exorbitant rates mentioned for videography and photography.
The Memorial Park also has an information gallery, filled with 20-ft high posters and cut-outs, which takes one through the journey and achievements of Dr. Ambedkar through rare footages, writings, clippings of his ‘Mook Nayak’ magazine from 1920, among others.
However, not many tourists visit the gallery, said another in-charge on the premises, on the condition of anonymity. He expressed dissatisfaction that they were more interested in “taking selfies” near the gardens and water fountains.
