Audit finds dark side of city’s green spaces

A Delhi Police audit has revealed that most parks across the Capital lack CCTV surveillance and struggle with insufficient lighting, even though hundreds visit these green spaces daily

A Delhi Police audit has revealed that most parks across the Capital lack CCTV surveillance and struggle with insufficient lighting, even though hundreds visit these green spaces daily.

Police said they audited around 1,500 parks, including 300 prominent and larger ones, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Police said they audited around 1,500 parks, including 300 prominent and larger ones, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The inspection was launched following the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at southeast Delhi’s Aastha Kunj park on Monday evening.

According to the audit report, parks were inspected against 11 parameters: name, area measurement, maintenance agency, previously reported crimes, timings, average daily visitors, number of gates, security guards, lighting, CCTV camera surveillance, dark spots, and condition of the boundary wall.

HT has seen the audit reports of seven parks, which show that security arrangements vary depending on the park’s size and location.

At the 170-acre Swarn Jayanti Park in Rohini’s Sector 10, maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), police recorded that cases of motor-vehicle theft and snatching have previously been reported.

The park has four gates and 27 security guards deployed around the clock. However, the report noted that while lighting was available, it was “not sufficient”. CCTV cameras were also “insufficient”. The report stated that the park also has dark spots.

In another DDA-maintained park — District Park at Sector 1 in Avantika, Rohini — police recorded that cases under the Arms Act, Gambling Act, NDPS Act and for causing hurt have been reported from the park. The 100-acre park has five gates, security guards, and a lighting system. However, it lacks CCTV cameras and also has a dark spot. The report stated that the boundary wall was also found to be damaged.

The findings from the smaller parks also point to gaps in surveillance. The 16-acre Deen Dayal Upadhyay Park in IP Estate, maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), has gates, guards, and lighting, but no CCTV cameras. The park sees an estimated 150-250 people a day and is used during two time slots: from 6am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm.

In north Delhi, the 50-acre Roshanara Bagh in Roop Nagar, maintained by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), sees an estimated 500-700 visitors a day. The audit records seven gates, 12 guards, lighting, and 21 CCTV cameras. No dark spot was identified, and the boundary walls and roads were assessed to be in good condition.

“This park was well maintained because local residents flag gaps as soon as they arise,” one of the officers privy to the audit said.

In east Delhi’s Mandawali, the MCD-maintained Amrit Park, spread over around 90 hectares, sees 150-200 visitors a day. The park has two gates and four security guards. Its lighting was assessed as “good,” but it has no CCTV cameras either.

In south Delhi’s one-acre Tikona Park in Masjid Moth, maintained by the DDA, the audit found four gates, marked the lighting as “not good,” and found that the park had no CCTVs.

In New Delhi, an audit of the NDMC-maintained Nehru Park revealed that it checked all the parameters. The park has six gates, was manned by guards, had lighting, and was covered by 12 CCTV cameras.

The audit of the Capital’s parks comes amid renewed focus on the safety of women and students using parks and other public spaces in the city. “Such assessments help identify locations where security infrastructure and patrolling need to be strengthened. We will share the details with the concerned departments as well for them to take action where necessary,” a senior police officer said.