Green spaces along Yamuna probable venue for G20 events

Delhi will host eight G20 events beginning March 1, 2023 with the meeting of G20 foreign ministers and culminating with the meeting of heads of governments and states on September 9-10, 2023.

As the Capital gears up to host the G20 Leaders’ Summit next year, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is looking at one of two newly-developed green spaces along the Yamuna as the possible venue for the global event. The two sites are Baansera, a bamboo garden being developed near Sarai Kale Khan, and Asita East, located on the eastern bank of the Yamuna near the ITO barrage.

Baansera, a bamboo garden, near Sarai Kale Khan is likely to be a venue for a G20 event. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Senior officials of the land-owning agency said landscape and other infrastructure work is being undertaken on a war footing at the two sites, and DDA vice chairman Manish Kumar Gupta visited the sites on Sunday.

“The two sites are being considered for one or more meetings that are likely to be held in the national capital next year. Landscape work is being carried out, and other infrastructure such as walkways, toilets, bamboo structures for people to sit, etc are being developed at the two sites. A meeting centre made of bamboo is likely to be developed once the site is finalised,” a DDA official said on condition of anonymity.

Delhi will host eight G20 events beginning March 1, 2023 with the meeting of G20 foreign ministers and culminating with the meeting of heads of governments and states on September 9-10, 2023.

Another official said that lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena is likely to inspect the sites this week. “The two sites are being considered but no decision has been taken as yet. Works are going on at both the sites,” the official said.

In August, the LG had laid the foundation for Baansera, Delhi’s first bamboo-themed park. A month prior to that, 20,000 saplings of 15 varieties of bamboo were procured from Assam, and the DDA has completed the plantation of around 11,000 saplings so far.

Spread over 12 hectare, on completion the park will have over 25,000 bamboos.

A senior DDA official said developing Baansera has been a challenge as construction and demolition waste used to be dumped at the site. “In a short span of time, we have been able to do a lot of work. The area was levelled before the plantation could be done and landscaping work is going on. Though work is being carried out at a fast pace, it will take some time for the area to be fully developed as a bamboo park,” the official said.

The park has been categorised into two parts -- bamboo recreation in the greenway zone, and bamboo plantation along with other riverine plantations.

“The park will have amenities such as kiosks, huts for people to sit, watchtowers, wooden decks for cultural events or meetings, exhibition spaces and a greenway area along kachcha pathways. We are developing a large area with seasonal flower plantations,” the official said.

Meanwhile, Asita East, which spreads over 90 hectares, has been developed by DDA as part of its ambitious Yamuna riverfront redevelopment project. Work on the project started in 2017 and it was inaugurated by the LG in September this year.

DDA officials say that the area was revived after largescale encroachment and illegal farming was removed in 2017-18. “We carried out landscaping work, cleaned the area, revived the waterbody and developed the infrastructure such as walkways, close to 30 acres of lawns with different varieties of grass,” said an official.

The DDA has revived the waterbody, spread over five areas, and after the restoration work, DDA officials say, the area gets a lot of migratory birds. “We are in the process of installing benches along the waterbody so that people can come and sit here. We have already developed public amenity blocks,” said a senior official aware of the development.

The site is already being used to host events, such as the International Yoga day.