Dinosaur themed waste-to-art park to come up in Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan

The park will feature 10-20-foot interactive dinosaur installations, and will come up adjacent to the existing waste-to-wonder park in Sarai Kale Khan

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday initiated the construction of the Capital’s first waste-to-art themed park for children at Sarai Kale Khan. The park will feature replicas of dinosaurs made from scrap. Spread over 3.5 acres next to the Waste to Wonder Park, the project is expected to cost ₹13.7 crore, and is scheduled to be completed by July.

A replica of the Taj Mahal at the ‘Waste to Wonder Park’ in Sarai Kale Khan in New Delhi. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

The park will be the fourth such spot in the city.

An official from MCD’s horticulture department said the park will feature 10-20-foot interactive dinosaur installations.

“Of the 15 units, seven will have sound and light features while the rest will incorporate slides, jumping nets, climbing ropes and similar features. While the Waste to Wonder Park is popular, we found that installations were not child-friendly and the theme park lacked features that would encourage children to spend more time there,” the official said.

While the original park features replicas of monuments such as the Taj Mahal, the pyramids of Giza, and the Statue of Liberty -- developed using 150 tonnes of scrap from municipal -- the upcoming dinosaur park will utilise 250 tonnes of scrap to develop installations of extinct prehistoric reptiles such as Coelophysis, Velociraptor, Tsintaosaurus, Deinosuchus, Deinonychus, Rajasaurus, Prenocephale, Ankylosaurus, Triceratops, Amargasaurus, Spinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, Diplodocus, and Stegosaurus.

A second official said the upcoming park will also feature ornamental lighting, fountains, and sound. “The landscaping of the park will be done by planting trees and shrubs like a jungle. The green space will have seating facilities, connecting walkways to all sculptures, garden huts and a food court area for the visitors,” the official added.

Before the Waste to Wonder Park came up in Sarai Kale Khan in 2019, ticketed parks were not run by the MCD.

The parks are now a huge attraction, drawing visitors from across Delhi. According to officials, the park built by the erstwhile South MCD recovered its cost within 12 months.