A dangerous move to commercialise open spaces in parks in Delhi and the National Capital Region is now gathering momentum. It spells doom for these parks
There appears to be a sinister move by various agencies with their vested interests to commercialise parks in Delhi and the National Capital Region. There is hardly any land available in over-congested Delhi and the neighbourhood, and whatever little is available is exorbitantly costly. Therefore, the industrial lobby has its eyes on the parks, particularly the bigger ones, to usurp some of their portions for commercial use.
The fear is not unfounded. According to some reports published in the print media, the Delhi Urban Art Commission has sent a proposal to the Delhi Development Authority, demanding a corner in parks to open restaurant and toilet facilities, in the guise of holding cultural activities and showcasing artefacts from time to time. Since the DDA owns a majority of the parks in Delhi and any proposal to change in land-usage in the green areas — for example, starting any kind of commercial activity — has to be approved by the higher authorities of the DDA. Senior officials and the chairman of DUAC are said to be approaching DDA officials, with a proposal of this nature. All this smells of some sort of connivance between the DDA officials and the DUAC management, that needs to be looked into, before it is too late.
Time and again, there have been suggestions by the agencies to usurp up to 25 per cent of most frequented parks in Noida for commercial activities. In the process, the developers need to cut down a number of fully-grown trees, doing which is otherwise illegal. There seems to be a continuous ongoing tussle between the resident welfare associations, that are vehemently critical, and the authorities over the issue. The residents have had to keep a constant vigil, which could be very distressing.
Parks are the lungs of a city. They clean up the air, by taking in injurious carbon dioxide and giving out healthy oxygen. With very high density of population, enormous vehicular traffic that emits toxic gases and, on top of it, continuously increasing cost of living, parks are the only places for a majority of residents where they can breathe fresh air and enjoy some peaceful moments, free of cost. Instead of spoiling existing green areas, there is a need to revamp the neglected parks, which are not kept green and clean, but have become dumping grounds.
The moment eateries and toilets are built inside parks, the whole place would become filthy and polluted; fresh air would become a dream. Dirty plastic plates, plastic glasses, used items etc littered all over the place, would make the place un-walkable. With scarcity of water, and lack of sanitation, stench from toilets would become unbearable. Besides, who would take the responsibility of cleaning the place regularlyIJ
According to a survey done by the Planning Commission, in the environment index for the year 2012, Delhi ranks 30th among the 35 States and Union Territories. The different parameters that were taken into consideration included, air pollution, ground water level, garbage and toxic waste treatment facilities etc. luckily, green cover, which is mainly provided by parks, was the only index that remained same and did not go down for quite a few years. Why should the city lag behind in this category tooIJ
There should be well-defined laws that keep parks out of the ambit of greedy lobby, which with a quid pro quo arrangement with the bureaucrats and politicos are desperate to grab open green places in parks in Delhi and the NCR. The town planning department needs to be more vigilant and strict. Concerned authorities should conduct checks on regular basis for any encroachments and, unscheduled construction activities.
There is a role for the print and the electronic media also, which should recognise, and highlight, this important issue from time to time. Sadly, television channels are suffering from the ‘breaking news’ syndrome. They have little time for developments that directly affect the people.