Vibha SharmaNew Delhi: Come spring, lush lawns with beautiful flowers, pathways and fountains may sprout in several city neighbourhoods and people may not have to visit prominent gardens in central Delhi to enjoy green spaces.Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has decided to upgrade 30 green spaces into model parks by March 31 next year. The parks will become complete recreational areas. Baansera and Asita are as benchmarks. DDA has started work in 24 of the 30 parks.“Baansera and Asita on Yamuna Bank saw huge crowds from Jan onwards. Families came from far-flung areas. Due to enough parking space, flowers blooming all around, musical fountains, vast green lawns, swings and migratory birds, people loved spending time here. Also, there is a desire for an immersive natural escape from urban chaos. On a similar pattern, we aim to create aesthetically pleasing, safe and vibrant public green spaces in neighbourhood parks/green spaces so that people can save travel time,” an official said.The scope of the upgrade includes restoration of lawns, planting more, making seasonal flower beds and improving pathways.“We are already working intensively on lighting improvements, provision of security guards and CCTV surveillance to enhance safety, and work at these 24 parks would be completed on priority. Enhancing the landscape will improve the overall usability of the parks,” said officials.The target date for completion is March 31, 2027.The parks listed for upgrade are Sahdev Singh Park at Multan Nagar; Maharishi Dayanand Park at Lawrence Road; Lok Vihar Park at Pitampura; Mulchand Colony DDA Park at Sarai Pipal Thala; Rattan Wala Bagh at Model Town; and parks at Matiala, Bindapur and Palam in the Dwarka area.Other locations include the zonal green area at Keshopur; District Park at G-17, Paschim Vihar, including LG Park and Sportsfield; the park and lake at Madipur and Bhagwati Talab; neighbourhood parks at Naraina Vihar and Hari Nagar near DDU Hospital; Dr Hedgewar Park at Kirti Nagar; LIG & MIG Loni Road Park; Maharana Pratap Park and playground at Kranti Nagar; and Children’s Park at Mandawali Fazalpur.Swachhata Hi Seva’ CampaignLed by LG VS Sandhu, DDA is conducting a month-long Swachhata Hi Seva campaign across its parks, green spaces and sports complexes. The campaign started on Sept 17.Under these initiatives, 2.5 tonnes of waste was collected from sports complexes and other facilities.
