MCG to formulate policy to standardise colour scheme, designs of city parks

The MCG is in the process of formulating a policy for all the 152 parks maintained by the body. Work on implementing this policy will commence after the general elections.

In future, it will be mandatory for parks maintained by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to have a uniform colour scheme, sewage treatment plants and space for air-purifying plants etc, officials said on Thursday.

In June last year, the MCG completed a survey to determine the 20 least-maintained parks, following the civic body took over their maintenance from RWAs (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The MCG is in the process of formulating a policy for all the 152 parks maintained by the body. Work on implementing this policy will commence after the general elections.

“Every city has its own unique identity, and we want the parks maintained by the MCG to reflect Gurugram’s unique identity. By design, facilities, and colour scheme, we want residents to be able to detect if a park is maintained by the MCG. All parks will follow a standard design. Additionally, boundary walls, drains, types of plantation, walking tracks, streetlights, benches, sewage treatment plants, shade structures and any other physical infrastructure will also be of a standard size. Work on this will commence post-elections,” said MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav.

As per Yadav, all 152 parks maintained by the MCG will be covered by the policy. “In addition, any parks where the MCG has carried out any civic work will also come under the purview of the new policy,” he said.

Of the 529 parks in the city, 377 are maintained by the residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) of the city and the remaining 152 are maintained by the MCG.

The MCG has two nurseries in Civil Lines, and officials said they are verifying if the nurseries will have enough stock of air- purifying plants, which can then be transported to each of the parks. If not, they will look at private nurseries to procure the same, said officials.

The MCG had handed over the upkeep of parks in residential areas to RWAs in 2016, although residents and councillors at that time had opposed the move. After receiving complaints of poor maintenance from the residents following the handover, the MCG initiated a survey on the condition of parks in late 2017.

In June last year, the MCG completed a six-month survey to determine the 25 best-maintained parks across the city in regards to greenery and sanitation, along with the 20 least-maintained parks.

Following the conclusion of the survey, the RWAs of 25 best- maintained parks were awarded monetary rewards to be used for improving the standards of parks a notch further, while the MCG took back the maintenance of the 20 least-maintained parks from their RWAs.