An ambulance-themed park built in Odisha’s Jajpur district has fallen into a state of neglect, triggering resentment among local residents. The park, located inside Sanskriti Bhavan premises at Santara in Vyasanagar, was developed in 2023 to provide a recreational space for children using old ambulances as attractions.

Also Read: Odisha’s ‘108-Ambulance’ crisis continues as patients suffer

According to sources, around 14 old ambulance vehicles were placed inside the park for children’s amusement and educational purposes. The project was completed and inaugurated within a year of construction. However, only a few days after its inauguration, the theme park was allegedly shut down and has remained closed ever since.

Due to a lack of maintenance and proper security, the ambulance park is now lying in a dilapidated condition and has allegedly turned into a den for anti-social activities. Local residents expressed strong dissatisfaction over the abandonment of the public facility, saying the State government’s funds have gone waste.

“We don’t know how much was spent on that, Rs 40-50 lakh, during the previous (BJD-led) government. There is no information signage either. We don’t even know who has done the project. Just a day after its inauguration, we saw what happened. It hasn’t started; it’s locked. Whether these people (the persons involved) have looted or what else they have done should be investigated, and strict action must be taken against them,” a Vyasanagar resident, Kalandi Das, stated to OTV.

Meanwhile, the local MLA said discussions have been held with the administration to investigate the matter and take necessary action. He also assured that steps would be taken to restore and reopen the park at the earliest.

“We had visited the Ambulance Park. Our MLA also visited it. We are gradually working on all the things available in the district that we believe can be put to use, especially those big projects that should benefit people quickly. For that, I saw it today, and we are making a plan for it,” Jajpur district Collector, Ambar Kumar Kar, expressed.