NEW DELHI: In the wake of the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Nehru Place, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is set to deploy gunmen at 134 parks and introduce night patrolling at 245 major parks as part of a sweeping security overhaul following its first-ever safety audit of all 736 parks under its jurisdiction.The exercise, undertaken within a week of directions from lieutenant governor TS Sandhu, flagged significant gaps in security deployment, lighting, surveillance, access control and boundary protection. “Security deployment emerged as a key concern at these parks, particularly as several DDA parks cover large areas and are not surrounded by residential settlements. The audit recommended night patrolling at 245 major parks and the deployment of gunmen at 134 parks where security risks were found to be significant,” an official said, adding DDA’s security agency will deploy the gunmen in the vulnerable parks.
323 more parks to get CCTV cameras
According to officials, bike patrolling has already started in all high-risk parks and a meeting has been held with all security agencies concerned to address the issues.“In high- and medium-risk parks, guard deployment is being distributed to ensure wider coverage, while bike patrols will be equipped with hooters, whistles and high-range torches. Delhi Police will also conduct additional patrolling at identified high-risk parks,” the official added.The audit categorised 190 parks as high-risk, 258 as medium-risk and 288 as low-risk for priority-based interventions. Officials said high-risk parks were identified based on factors such as night-time infiltration, local nuisance, encroachment, crime-prone surroundings, dense forest areas and drug-related activity.The list includes Aastha Kunj, Green Area Hastsal, District Park Hauz Khas, Green Area at Maa Anandmayi Marg, Sanjay Lake in Trilokpuri, Jahanpanah City Forest, Ridge and forest areas, biodiversity parks and green areas along Yamuna floodplain.The audit also highlighted major shortcomings in surveillance infrastructure. While only 16 parks currently have CCTV coverage, DDA has identified 323 additional parks for camera installation. The proposed coverage includes all high-risk parks as well as major parks such as Aastha Kunj, District Park Hauz Khas, Vijay Mandal Park, Sanjay Lake Trilokpuri, Mehrauli Archaeological Park and Smriti Van Kondli.“To begin with, all entry and exit points and security rooms will be covered,” officials said, adding that CCTV footage will be retained for 15 days and made available to Delhi Police whenever required.The audit found that 520 parks need additional lighting, with work at 231 being taken up on priority. Entrances at 163 parks were in poor condition, while 233 of 399 parks assessed had boundary-related repair or missing-grille issues. Areas around toilets and abandoned structures were also flagged for improvement.To ensure the physical presence of guards, biometric attendance has been activated in 602 parks. A central dashboard will also be created to track safety and progress of corrective measures.Senior officials have begun field inspections, including visits to Yamuna Biodiversity Park and Kamla Nehru Ridge Park over the past two days.
