130 DDA parks in Delhi need armed guards; 190 labelled high-risk in safety audit

Of the 736 parks, 190 are deemed high-risk, while many others need improved lighting and additional surveillance to address significant security concerns.

More than 130 of the 736 parks managed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) require armed guards, while 190 have been classified as “high-risk”, according to a safety audit carried out after the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park in south Delhi’s Kalkaji last week.

A poorly lit stretch near Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), close to Aastha Kunj park. (Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times)

The audit also found that only 16 DDA parks currently have CCTV cameras, even as 323 need additional camera coverage, according to a DDA statement on Friday. A further 520 parks require improved lighting, underscoring the scale of security gaps across the authority’s green spaces.

The audit was completed within a week of LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu directing DDA to assess the security of its parks. The authority classified 190 parks as “high-risk”, 258 as “medium-risk” and 288 as “low-risk”, and said immediate interventions were being prioritised in the high-risk category.

While DDA did not release the complete list of parks covered by the findings, officials aware of the exercise said examples of high-risk parks include Aastha Kunj, Green Area Hastsal, District Park Hauz Khas, MP Green at Maa Anandmayi Marg, Sanjay Lake in Trilokpuri, Jahanpanah City Forest, Ridge and forest areas, biodiversity parks and green areas along the Yamuna floodplains.

The “high-risk” classification covers parks with problems such as night-time infiltration, local nuisance, encroachment, crime-prone surroundings, dense forest areas and drug-related activity. Large parks are being provided bike patrols for faster coverage, with hooters where required, DDA said.

The audit comes after a 17-year-old girl was gang-raped at the 142-acre Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Temple on September 21. The girl was visiting the park with a 17-year-old friend on her birthday when the accused allegedly posed as policemen and approached them. The incident triggered widespread concern over security and patrolling in public parks.

Of the 520 parks identified as needing additional lighting, work in 231 is being taken up on an immediate basis, while lighting work has already been completed in 106 parks. The DDA also identified 163 parks where gates need to be made lockable.

Boundary security emerged as another concern. Of the 399 parks identified as requiring repairs or replacement of missing grills, work has been addressed in 233, DDA said. Areas around toilets and abandoned structures have also been flagged for corrective action.

DDA has identified 134 parks requiring armed guards. Night patrolling, DDA said, has started in 245 major parks, while bike patrolling has been started in all “high-risk” parks. Biometric attendance has been activated in 602 parks, with implementation pending in the remaining parks.

Pie chart about park safety in Delhi (HT PRINT)

The authority held a meeting with security agencies on September 28 to address security-related issues. Safety information boards have been installed in 115 parks, while signage at another 484 parks is under implementation. Contact details of local police and beat officers have also been shared with field staff across all parks.

DDA is preparing standard operating procedures covering patrolling, guard performance, supervisor accountability, attendance, incident reporting and coordination with police. Security-related provisions in tenders are also being updated, while meetings with RWAs have begun to identify park-specific security concerns.

A central monitoring dashboard has been established, and officials are conducting weekly inspections. Principal commissioner-level visits were held at Yamuna Biodiversity Park on September 30 and Kamla Nehru Ridge Park on October 1.

The audit findings broadly mirror concerns identified by HT in a spot check of Delhi’s 12 major parks on September 28.