Delhi govt to fund development and upgradation of 5000 parks

NEW DELHI: The Government of NCT of Delhi announced on March 23, that it is going to fund the development of 5,000 parks in the national capital. It also informed that under the ‘Mukhyamantri Park Saundaryakaran Yojana’, 1500 parks are being redeveloped in the city in collaboration with 450 residents’ welfare associations.

The government talked about its ambition to transform Delhi into a city of world-class parks. They plan to develop world-class facilities in an area of around 3,000 acres across 17 forests of the city.

The government stated that facilities like adequate lighting, CCTV cameras, toilets, power backup, etc. will be included in these parks. In addition to walking, jogging, and cycling tracks, the parks will have dedicated play area for toddlers, child friendly play equipment, open air gyms, gazebos and covered seating area. The goal is to incorporate waterbodies, native trees and shrubs as well in the parks. Moreover, work will be done to establish system of rainwater harvesting in them.

Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal reviewed the status of parks in the city and directed the concerned officials to submit a detailed project report within 15 days. Among other senior officials, Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister; Gopal Rai, Minister of Environment; and Jasmine Shah, Vice-Chairperson, Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi, were present in the meeting.

Under the ‘Mukhyamantri Park Saundaryakaran Yojana’, parks spread over 500 acres in the city are being developed by the Delhi Parks and Gardens Society in collaboration with local RWAs, NGOs, and MLAs. The government informed that out of 16,828 parks in Delhi, survey of 6,396 parks have been completed. Out of the surveyed parks, 3,565 parks have been identified as those not being maintained up to the standards. The government said that it will work to transform them into world-class parks that facilitates the citizens and tourists of the city.