New Delhi, Oct. 2 -- The Delhi Development Authority has completed a safety audit of all its 736 parks within a week, identifying 190 as high risk and requiring immediate intervention. The audit, carried out following directions of Lieutenant Governor Sardar Taranjit Singh Sandhu, has also flagged the need for additional lighting in 520 parks and new CCTV installations in 323 parks. Of the 736 parks audited, 258 have been categorised as medium risk and 288 as low risk, while the high risk parks are being addressed on an immediate basis.
Lighting is among the key gaps identified in the audit. Of the 520 parks where additional lighting provisions have been identified, 231 are being taken up for immediate provision. Work has already been completed in 106 parks on an immediate basis, based on the audit conducted last week. Access and visibility related concerns have also been identified. In 163 parks, unlockable gates have been marked for conversion into lockable gates. Safety information boards have been installed in 115 parks, with another 484 signages under implementation.
The audit found CCTV surveillance available in 16 parks, while 323 additional parks have been identified for new CCTV installations. Boundary related issues have also been taken up, with repair and missing grill work addressed in 233 of the 399 parks identified for such work. Areas around toilets and abandoned structures have been identified for corrective action. Security arrangements are also being expanded across the parks. Night patrolling has started in 245 major parks, while 134 parks have been identified for the requirement of gunmen. Bike patrolling has started in all high risk parks. A meeting with all concerned security agencies was conducted in the office of the Principal Commissioner on September 28 to address the issues.
The DDA has made biometric attendance of security guards active in 602 parks, with implementation underway in the remaining parks. Contact details of local police and beat officers have also been shared with field staff and vice versa, along with sensitisation on incident reporting and police coordination. The coverage of contact detail distribution is 100 per cent across all parks. The authority is also working on standardised security protocols, with SOPs under progress for patrolling, guard performance, supervisor accountability, attendance, reporting and police coordination. Security related tender provisions are also being updated.
At the local level, the DDA has initiated structured meetings with Resident Welfare Associations to identify park specific safety concerns and assign corrective actions. These meetings are being conducted at the Director/DD level. For continued oversight, a Central Master Tracker and Monitoring Dashboard have been established, while senior officers are conducting weekly inspections. The Principal Commissioner visited Yamuna Biodiversity Park on September 30, followed by a visit by the Principal Commissioner Kamla Nehru Ridge Park on October 1.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.