Residents across Delhi have raised concerns over security arrangements at neighbourhood and district parks, pointing to inadequate lighting, lack of guards, poor maintenance and the absence of CCTV cameras, and have expressed safety concerns following the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at the Aastha Kunj Park.
The DDA currently manages more than 16,000 acres of green areas across Delhi. Shubham Sharma, 38, a resident of Amar Colony, said that many Delhi Development Authority (DDA) parks in south Delhi have become poorly maintained spaces, with overgrown grass, broken pathways, inadequate lighting and litter scattered around. Representatives of residents’ groups alleged that, as parks are poorly monitored, most people avoid them, as groups have been drinking or using other narcotics on the premises. After dark, these parks become a haven for anti-social elements and women especially avoid these areas. Delhi’s green areas are broadly categorised as neighbourhood and district parks. “These parks are meant to be neighbourhood spaces for children, senior citizens and residents, but the lack of regular upkeep is making people increasingly hesitant to use them.
BS Vohra, president of the East Delhi RWA Joint Forum, said, “There are several neighbourhood parks across east Delhi, but cameras are rarely visible. Parks smaller than five acres are handled by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi as “neighbourhood parks”, while larger parks are managed by the Delhi Development Authority as “district parks”. There needs to be a proper system of regular maintenance and accountability,” he said. Residents living around the Aastha Kunj Park said they had previously raised concerns about the presence of anti-social elements and drug users inside the premises.
Before the gang rape incident, the park had been at the centre of other crimes.
