DDA to allow public events at 25 parks, but no weddings or political functions

The 25 parks are located in Hauz Khas, Asita-Yamuna riverfront, Sanjay Lake, Astha Kunj in Nehru Place, Swarn Jayanti Park in Rohini, two district parks in Dwarka, and Coronation Park in North Delhi, among others

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has allowed events to be organised in nearly 25 parks that are well-maintained by the land owning agency.

According to the DDA policy, these parks can be booked for cultural, art and school events, but no political function or wedding ceremony will be allowed. (Picture for representation only/Raj K Raj-HT)

A senior DDA official said on condition of anonymity, “The idea is to encourage people to use the facilities. Currently, footfall at these parks is negligible, but with this initiative, we hope that citizens’ engagement will increase now. We have prepared a policy in this regard.”

According to the policy, these parks can be booked for cultural, art and school events, but no political function or wedding ceremony will be allowed.

The agency has divided the parks in two categories— open park spaces and parks with amphitheatres and boat clubs on their premises. The 25 parks are located in Hauz Khas, Asita-Yamuna riverfront, Sanjay Lake, Astha Kunj in Nehru Place, Swarn Jayanti Park in Rohini, two district parks in Dwarka, and Coronation Park in North Delhi, among others.

The DDA official further said, “The idea is to allow the public to use the parks in an organised manner. Any individual, organisations, residents’ body or institution may book the park. All parks are about two to three acres in size.”

Of the 25 parks, six have facilities such as an amphitheatre and are located in Malviya Nagar, Mayur Vihar, Vasant Vihar, among other areas. The capacity of amphitheatres is between 150-750, the official said.

DDA already has over 100 open spaces across the city which can be booked for weddings or political events. “Cooking will not be allowed inside the park. Only ready-to-eat food will be permitted. The park can be booked for six to 12 hours and the events can be organised between 6am and 8pm during winter and 5am and 9pm in summer,” said the official.

A DDA official said the aim of the policy is not to earn revenue, therefore the booking charges are nominal.