Delhi’s south civic body plans to place waste-to-art parks on int’l tourist circuit

The SDMC has offered to provide consultancy services to various embassy representatives for developing such parks

As part of its plans to push the concept of “waste-to-art” themed parks on the international circuit, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) in collaboration with International Council for World Affairs organised a visit for ambassadors and embassy representatives from 27 countries to Bharat Darshan Park in Punjabi Bagh on Wednesday.

A replica of Hampi stone chariot, one of the 21 historical buildings made of waste material in line with the concept of 'waste to wealth' at the Bharat Darshan Park in New Delhi. (ANI Archive)

SDMC commissioner Gyanesh Bharti said that high commissioners, ambassadors and representatives from countries such as Bangladesh, Turkey, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mauritius, Fiji, Vietnam, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Denmark visited the park. “The park has 22 replicas of historical monuments such as Char Minar, Gateway of India, Konark Temple, Mysore Palace and Meenakshi Temple, among other key cultural sites from all over India. ‘Unity in Diversity’ is the theme of the park,” the commissioner said.

The civic body has offered to provide consultancy services to various embassy representatives for developing such parks, Tulsi Joshi, the RK Puram councillor who coordinated the visit, said.

“Several embassy representative expressed their desire to develope similar waste-to-art themed structures, and we will be taking the proposals forward in the next few months,” Joshi said.

A senior municipal official said the corporation also plans to collaborate with other countries, tourist circuit buses and private tour operators. “This is a successful and replicable model. The ticket sale data shows that the corporation has already earned ₹1.51 crore in revenue from the park, which was opened on December 25, 2021, despite several closures in January due to Covid. We plan to recover the entire input cost in another year, after which the park will start yielding profits while showcasing the reuse of waste material,” the SDMC official said.

Officials said Sarai Kale Khan’s Waste to Wonder park was built at a cost of ₹7.5 crore and the facility was able to recover the entire cost of construction in its first year of operations through ticket sales when 1.55 million people visited the facility.

According to officials, SDMC engaged eight artists, 22 assistants and 150 workers to construct the Bharat Darshan Park, which took over 22 months. SDMC has created another such themed park in Sarai Kale Khan, and, according to officials, four more parks are in the pipeline. “The foundation stones for these parks will be laid in the next one month,” Joshi said. The North and East MCDs have also expressed their desire to set up such parks in Karol Bagh and Nirman Vihar.