Citizens languish filthy state of Dhaak Park in Greater Noida’s Delta 1

Harinder Bhati, president of active citizens’ team, the green belt has been littered with household waste, plastic and other waste substances

In a city where green spaces are few and far between, residents of Greater Noida are anguished by the unhygienic condition of the Delta 1 green belt, also known as ‘Dhaak Park’. They blame the Greater Noida authority for not maintaining the park and also the “lack of civic sense” of colony residents.

The Dhaak Park is 300 metres wide and two kilometres long. The park takes its name from Dhaak (butea monosperma) trees which line the green belt. (HT Photo)

Harinder Bhati, president of active citizens’ team, the green belt has been littered with household waste, plastic and other waste substances.

“When I visited the Dhaak Park today, I was shocked by its condition. The entire park is littered with plastic and household waste and there is no place for residents to sit and enjoy the greenery. The lack of civic sense among residents and the lackadaisical attitude of the Greater Noida authority has damaged the greenery. The park has not been cleaned for the past several months,” Bhati said.

The Dhaak Park of Delta 1 sector in Greater Noida occupies a special place as it is the only green belt in the area. The Dhaak Park is 300 metres wide and two kilometres long. The park takes its name from Dhaak (butea monosperma) trees which line the green belt. Dhaak Park has benches for residents to sit and enjoy the greenery. In other sectors of Greater Noida, green belts are not as wide. The responsibility of preserving green belt is with the horticulture department of the Greater Noida authority.

Residents of Delta 1 sector say garbage is littered on the green belt as residents who do not follow basic cleanliness rules of the residents’ welfare association.

“The park was developed in 2004 along with the sector and, today, there are more than 2,000 houses in Delta 1. However, it pains me to say residents of this sector have not been following the RWA rules. Even when we have installed boards asking people not to litter the park, they throw all their garbage there. The authority is also not bothered about cleaning the park,” said Shyam Veer Bhati, treasurer, RWA, Delta 1.

Anand Mohan, general manager of the horticulture department, said the park was cleaned recently with the help of staff hired through contractors.

“The tender to clean Dhaak Park ended in 2017 and a new tender has not been issued yet. In December, we brought some staff to clean the park and 10 truckloads of garbage was lifted from the park. We will clean the park again but people should also be conscious about their civic duties,” Mohan said.