Parks neglected despite crores in maintenance funds, MCG cancels RWA contracts

No regular maintenance and cleaning of the park, including inadequate lighting arrangements and boundary walls are a major concern, said officials.

Despite the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) spending crores on the upkeep of 1,272 parks across the city, many of these green spaces remain in a deplorable condition. With broken fountains, uprooted footpaths and garbage heaps being a common sight, greenery is conspicuously absent.

A damaged wall of the Huda park at sector-23A near Huda Market, in Gurugram on Friday. (Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

No regular maintenance and cleaning of the park, including inadequate lighting arrangements and boundary walls are a major concern, said officials.

The MCG has entrusted the maintenance of most parks to Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs). However, it has come to light that several RWAs are collecting funds from the corporation but not utilising them for the upkeep of parks.

“This practice is effectively draining public funds under the guise of development work. If the situation continues, we will take handover the work to people who genuinely want to upkeep the parks in these areas,” said Pradeep Dahiya, MCG commissioner.

Now, the MCG has started issuing notices to RWAs that are misusing the funds meant for the maintenance of these parks.

Expressing displeasure over the dilapidated state of parks in Sector 22, 22B, 23, and 23A, the MCG has issued show cause notices to RWAs of West Zone and South Zone Sector 23.The corporation has issued five-point directives for immediate improvement, addressing issues such as cleanliness, disorganised greenery, and absence of staff. The notice states that a joint inspection was recently conducted by the MCG’s horticulture department team which revealed that the cleanliness and maintenance of the parks were not up to standard.

Deficiencies found during inspections

MCG commissioner said several deficiencies were found in the parks such as overgrown trees, bushes, and grass and scattered garbage. “Organic and horticultural waste was not being disposed of properly, leading to foul odours and unsanitary conditions. Also, no gardener or supervisor was present for regular maintenance of the parks,” said Dahiya.

The RWA’s are required to deploy adequate human resources for cleaning and maintenance, ensure regular pruning of trees, bushes, and grass, and implement scientific disposal of garden waste and garbage. Amid the summer heat, regular irrigation of plants and lawns is also mandated. It is also mandatory for the RWAs to submit a compliance report to the municipal corporation in five days.

Lack of facilities

The condition of parks in old and new Gurugram is deteriorating significantly. In six parks in Samaspur village, open gym equipment has been uprooted, swings are broken, and greenery has disappeared entirely. Grills and benches are also broken, leaving no proper seating arrangements for people.

Pawan Kumar, SDO of the Municipal Corporation’s Horticulture branch, said that higher authorities will take up the matter if there’s no improvement in the condition of the parks within the deadline.It could also lead to strict action against the RWAs under contractual rules, potentially including the cancellation of their contracts.