more-in The toy train at Kadri Park will resume operation once the monsoon ends, said Deputy Director of Women and Child Welfare Department, Dakshina Kannada, Sundara Poojary here on Monday. Speaking at a public consultation meeting organised by the Horticulture Department for development of Kadri Park, Mr. Poojary said that since its launch in January, the new toy train ran on the newly laid broad railway track on Saturdays and Sundays. The train’s operation was stopped since May last week following heavy rain which resulted in tree branches falling on the track. Some trees have tilted towards the track. Mr. Poojary said that the process was now on to clear the fallen tree branches and also prune branches of the trees near the railway track. He said that Southern Railway officials, who have inspected the area, have asked the Horticulture Department authorities to remove the four old palm trees on the northern side of the park that are too close to train coaches. Permission was being sought to shift them, he said. Mangaluru City Corporation’s Assistant Executive Engineer (Water Supply) Ravi Shankar said that the corporation was working since March on laying walking track, mud walking track and building an open gymnasium in the park. The work has been taken up at a cost of ? 1.16 crore under the Centre’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation programme. Activist G.K. Bhat and Retired Engineer B.J. Gambir alleged that personnel of the contractor were not laying interlock tiles for the walking track in a proper way. Mr. Gambir said that the Horticulture Department should make alterations to the old fountain and the pond and use the two for harvesting rainwater. Activist Suresh Shetty said that steps should be taken to prevent breeding of malaria-carrying mosquitoes in the park. Gretta D’Souza, a morning walker in the park, said that the authorities should insist walkers to walk in a clock-wise direction. Another morning walker Ashok Subbaiah said that the road between the Circuit House and the Paduva College should be declared as traffic-free zone. A senior citizen said that the solar-powered lights in the park were not working since several days. Deputy Director of Horticulture Department, Dakshina Kannada H.R. Nayak said that issues such as the issuance of passes, declaration of traffic-free zone will be among the many to be taken up in the meeting of the Kadri Park Development Committee chaired by Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil S. to be held shortly.

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