Kulutang Town Children’s Park opens to the public

Chencho Dema

PUNAKHA – It was a peaceful weekend at the recreational park in the Kuruthang township of Punakha as parents and guardians were scattered across the park, keeping a close eye on their children, their faces beaming with joy and contentment.

The park is the only recreational facility in the area and is a long-awaited recreational destination for families. It is equipped with brightly colored play facilities such as slides, climbing frames and multi-functional play stations.

The 1.4-acre park recently reopened after an extensive renovation that began in May last year and now features new facilities and a refurbished open gym.

The park and open gym cost NT$2.6 million and has never been renovated since it opened in 2015. Before the renovation, it only had a twisted slide, two swings and a non-functioning seesaw, and the open gym on the side was also damaged.

Four new facilities have been added, including a rope climber, two seesaws, two multi-purpose play stations and two additional swings. There are two oval pavilions in the central area for parents to rest.

The playground has a perimeter of 308 meters and is surrounded by chain link fences and security gates to prevent children from getting lost, thus enhancing safety. This allows parents to rest assured that their children are safe while playing.

While most parents expressed happiness and satisfaction with the new facilities, a few suggested adding more equipment to save children from long waits and arguments.

A mother of two shared her experience, noting that parks are packed with children eager to play on weekends, and sometimes minor fights break out over who gets to play in turns.

A 45-year-old father, who was playing in the park with his daughter, praised the renovations but also believed that the added facilities would further enhance the experience for the growing number of visitors.

“With more and more children coming to the park, especially in the evenings and weekends, I feel it would be beneficial if the authorities could add some facilities. The park is spacious enough to accommodate additional facilities,” he said.

Tobgay, an engineer from the Kulutang District Engineering Cluster, said the Dzongkhag government attached great importance to this recreational facility as it was the only one in the vicinity. The renovation cost was Nu 3 million.

We plan to add more facilities such as additional toilets and hand washing facilities, waste bins and an effective operation and management system.