The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) recently conducted a safety audit of all 736 parks across the national capital in the aftermath of the alleged gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Temple, only to find that 190 of them are high-risk. Moreover, 520 parks need additional lighting, while CCTV cameras have been installed at only 16 of them.
The audit was conducted and finished within a week of directions issued by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor (LG) Sardar Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
A still from a park in Delhi
On the basis of the findings, 190 parks were classified as high-risk, 258 as medium risk and 288 as low risk, paving the way for priority-based safety measures across Delhi.
Lighting, CCTV and access gap concerns emerge
Lighting stood as one of the major concerns across all the parks, as 520 of them required additional illumination. Of these, work has been prioritised in 231 parks, while lighting-related measures have already been completed in 106 parks since the commencement of the audit.
Surveillance has assumed the second position among the persisting concerns, as only 16 DDA parks possess CCTV cameras. The authority has proposed installing cameras in 323 more parks across the city.
Access-control deficiencies were identified in 163 parks, where the DDA plans to replace unlockable gates with lockable ones. Safety information boards have already been laid in 115 parks, while work on other 484 safety signages is underway.
A snap of another park in Delhi
Further in the audit, damaged boundary walls and missing grills were flagged across 399 parks. According to DDA, repair work has already been initiated in 233 of these. Areas around toilets and abandoned structures have also been marked as vulnerable and requiring corrective measures.
Night patrolling ramped up
After the completion of the audit, night patrolling is being conducted in 245 major parks, while 134 parks have been identified as requiring armed security guards or gunmen. Bike patrolling has also been ramped up across all 190 parks categorised as high-risk.
DDA officials claimed to have met representatives of security agencies on September 28 to address the gaps identified during the exercise. Biometric attendance for security guards is now operational in 602 parks and is being extended to the remaining ones.
Going a step further, DDA has shared the contact details of local police stations and beat officers with field staff across its parks. Police officials have also been given the corresponding contact information.