The Delhi High Court today suggested roping in of Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) and corporate firms to manage the parks in the national capital as the civic agencies do not seem equal to the task.
"Why don't we involve RWAs and corporates to maintain parks? They (civic agencies) are not doing the needful," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw said while hearing a plea on the issue of poor conditions of children's parks in the city highlighted in a letter written by Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph.
The court also invited suggestions from senior advocate Nidhesh Gupta appointed as amicus curiae to assist the court.
During the hearing, Gupta submitted photographs of various parks in the city and said that except two, at India Gate and Sarojini Nagar, the rest are in poor condition.
He also said the status reports of New Delhi Municipal Council and North Delhi Municipal Corporation stating that the parks have been repaired and are functional and the pictures attached by the civic agencies, both are incorrect and misleading.
He also cited the standards followed by various countries in maintaining parks and such amusement facilities and submitted that it is the responsibility of the central government to take care of upkeep of such places.
Earlier, he had told the court that "facilities in parks are like death traps. Almost all the swings, slides and other facilities are in pathetic condition. In some of them, nails are coming out."
He had made the submission after visiting parks at various places including Vasant Vihar, Vasant Kunj, Greater Kailash and India Gate.
In his letter, Justice Kurien had mentioned India Gate children's park and the Lake park at Sarojini Nagar but the high court had expanded the scope of the PIL by including all such parks in Delhi and had asked the agencies to give details regarding the number of such places and their proposed action plan to upgrade, maintain and repair facilities there.
