Delhi pet park plan, dormant for 10 months, gets fresh lease of life

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will soon float a tender to hire an operator to run and maintain the park on a public-private partnership basis

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has revived its plans to develop a pet park at Jangpura in south Delhi, officials aware of the project have said, adding that the civic body will soon float a tender to hire an operator to run and maintain the park on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

The MCD horticulture department completed the civil work for the 0.65-acre park around 10 months ago. (Sanjeev Verma/ht photo)

The MCD horticulture department completed the civil work for the 0.65-acre park around 10 months ago, but the project has since been lying dormant as the corporation’s standing committee — a powerful body that controls the purse strings of the municipality — is yet to be constituted.

A senior MCD official, on condition of anonymity, said the project was given the green light by the house of councillors on December 28. “The proposal, in the form of a preamble, was submitted on May 30, 2023 for placing the matter before the house through the standing committee, but the standing committee has not been constituted and it seemed that the formation may take more time, so the proposal was placed directly before the house,” the official said.

The official said that MCD decided to engage a private operator to maintain the park in order to reduce financial liabilities. “The private sector is also well equipped to access better quality and skilled manpower to take care of pets, along with using technology and holding their employees more accountable to performance,” the official added.

Once a private connoisseur is hired for the park, the official said, the project will take another two-three months to become operational.

Delhi currently has one government-run pet park, opened by the erstwhile North MCD in October 2021 at Old Rajinder Nagar, where pets can play and socialise. However, it does not feature any added services that are proposed at the Jangpura park — a daycare facility, play sites, trails, and medical and grooming outlets. The official said the concept for the park was borrowed from similar facilities in Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

“The park will be run by the operator for a period of five years. The minimum reserve price for the monthly licencing fee would be ₹50,000, and the highest bidder will be awarded,” the official said.

To raise revenue from the park and fund its operations, the contractor will also be allowed to use a commercial area of 500 sqft to provide a vet clinic, a pet shop and a pet cafeteria, the official said.

Nidhi Sharma, a resident of East Kidwai Nagar and an animal rights activist, said dog owners face problems while taking their pets for a walk. “Dogs need an open space to run and undergo physical activity, which cannot be realised in local parks,” she said.