NEW DELHI: Evenings bring a dilemma for residents of BK Dutt Colony in central Delhi, who have to crowd into the sole usable park in the locality, where people struggle to find space to walk even as children have to take turns to play.
Several letters to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and meetings with its officials have failed to remedy the situation, and residents of the colony, close to Jor Bagh and home to more than 500 families, say the authorities have turned a deaf ear to their pleas.
“In the evenings, the park draws a large number of residents, especially children who come to play there after returning from school. There is no proper playground, so they all throng the park. They have to take turns to play as it mostly remains occupied. Owing to the law, we are forbidden from sitting anywhere other than the park. There are so many residents, how can all fit in one park,” said Rajesh Manga, who has been living in the colony for the past 40 years.
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One side of the park has got swings, see-saws and slides for children, with some space for sports activities, and the other side is used by the residents for evening walks.
There are two more parks in the colony, but they lie unused due to their dilapidated condition. One park is frequented by stray cattle, while the other one has not been maintained properly and is overgrown with grass and has broken benches.
According to the Residents Welfare Association, the park in use is managed by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
“The civic body maintains the functioning park, but we have not received any response from them on maintenance of the other two parks,” said RWA general secretary Sudhir Mahajan.
An NDMC official said, “Our workers are always taking rounds, maintaining the parks. We keep receiving complaints of the cattle menace not just from BK Dutt Colony but also other localities.”The official added that since the gates of the colony could not be kept closed, the cattle enter. “If this comes to the notice of the NDMC, we take them out of parks, but there are insufficient shelters for cattle, hence we cannot remove them,” the official said.
Sanjeev Bajaj, who has been living in the colony for 50 years, noted that for the elderly who live far from the park, walking to it is a problem.
“There should be at least a small park within a certain distance so that the elderly don’t have to walk far. There are many senior citizens here who came here after partition. It is not practical for them to walk so far. Also, there are few benches in the park to sit on. It is a big colony, and it is for the authority to think how to come up with other parks,” Bajaj said.
BK Dutt Colony figured in the news after clashes broke out there between the residents and members of Anjuman-e-Haideri, a committee responsible for maintaining Dargah Shah-e-Mardan, a Shiite shrine. The colony is also home to the Karbala ground.
“This issue is an old one. We want more parks where all the residents can take a walk and the children can play. How can so many people fit in a small park? Despite requests and letters, no action has been taken,” said RWA President Harbans Dunkal.
Dunkal said that as per the DDA’s plan, five areas are designated for parks, but according to the RWA they have been encroached on illegally.
“We are not going to question any legal decision or complain about the matter. But what is disappointing is DDA not taking steps to turn the encroached lands into parks,” he added.