Delhi Metro’s junk-to-art park Prakriti opens near Shastri Park

The Prakriti park, near Shastri Park Metro station, was inaugurated on Monday by Justice Swatanter Kumar. The park’s main attraction is sculptures made out of junk material.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s ‘Prakriti’ park near Shastri Park Metro station opened on Monday amid much anticipation. Made out of iron scrap, discarded sheets, broken pipes and tiles, the 42,000 sqm park has 12 sculptures. HT had first reported on December 26 that DMRC was in the process of designing such a park.

The park has 12 sculptures made of about 20-25 tonnes of waste by artists from across the country.

The park is within a walking distance from Shastri Park Metro station on the Red Line and by Monday evening, curious visitors had started pouring in to see the creations made of about 20-25 tonnes of waste. Besides these installations, the park has an auditorium, amphitheatre, meditation alcove, playground for children and gymnasium for visitors. There is also a fountain lake along with a forest area.

The park has some rare species of plants and seasonal flowers. The water required for horticulture here will be provided by the sewerage water treatment plant (STP) in the vicinity and the park’s power requirement of 20 kw will be met by solar energy making it a net positive energy park. An environmental gallery has also been created with paintings about the importance of environmental protection.

Made out of iron scrap, discarded sheets, broken pipes and tiles, the 42,000 sqm park has 12 sculptures.

The park, that has received ‘platinum rating’, was inaugurated on Monday by Justice Swatanter Kumar, chairperson, National Green Tribunal (NGT). Another highlight of the park is the Trellis Court which has eight pillars of progressively increasing height in the centre depicting the evolution of Delhi Metro.

”DMRC has not only contributed excellence in transportation but it stands out for two more things — it is environmentally conscious and it makes the effort to be self reliant. It will set a good precedence for others in the corporate sector to follow,” Kumar said.

Besides the Eco Park, the Delhi Metro has been recycling waste — horticulture, wooden and steel — to be used in various projects. A carpentry shop has been set up for making use of packing wood and dismantled steel pipes. Broken tiles are being used for waterproofing of rooftops and new barricades are being made from broken pipes of used railings.