Gurgaon: Residents want Tau Devi Lal park to be handed over to RWA for maintenance

Residents have voiced worry over the fast deteriorating condition of Devi Lal Park. Irate over the alleged shoddy upkeep of the green space, the residents said that they would do a better job of maintaining the park than the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda), which owns the space spread over 30 acres in Sector 22.

The park was inaugurated nearly 17 years ago and it used to be a model park of the city. Residents from far-off areas used to visit this park for fresh air. Over the last 8-9 years, however, the park’s peripheral boundary wall has been broken, the walkways have been damaged in places and miscreants and vagabonds in good number gather all the time, causing nuisance, the residents said.

Malkhan Singh, 67, a resident of Sector 23-A, said, “Our effort to get the Huda to stop the entry of unscrupulous elements to the park has failed. We have yet again appealed to the Huda to hand over the park to the residents’ welfare association (RWA), as we would be able to ensure better upkeep.”

The park was inaugurated by former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala in 2001-02. It used to be the largest green space in the city, catering to Huda sectors 1-23 and hundreds of other localities.

Bhawani Shankar Tripathy, a resident of Sector 23-A, said, “It was a beautiful green space till 2009-10, but has since lost its sheen. Now it is a place for young lovers, drug addicts and local boys. However, these people can’t be blamed for the present state of the park as it is the Huda’s job to ensure proper maintenance.”

Since the peripheral boundary walls are broken in places, stray animals enter the park and damage plants and grass. The perforated tiles of pathways are damaged causing inconvenience to the elderly. The fountains are defunct and is of no use in summer.

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“Huda hardly plants new saplings. While a minimum of 20-25 gardeners are required to maintain the greenery at the park, the Huda has assigned less than 10. Civil, electrical and horticulture works leave a lot to be desired,” Bhim Singh Yadav, a resident of Sector 22, said, adding that the Huda should hand over the park to residents.

Residents said that the Huda’s horticulture department has been spending ₹1.5 lakh a month on maintenance of the park.

“All this money goes to waste. I have RTI replies that show that the Huda spends a good amount on maintenance, but there’s little to show for all the money that goes into maintaining the park,” Aseem Takyar, a resident of Sector 23, said, adding that the RWAs of these sectors had pleaded with the Huda earlier to hand over the park to them for better maintenance.

In 2013, Huda’s horticulture department had planned landscaping of the park in order to improve its aesthetic beauty and develop it as a model park at a cost of ₹3 crore.

Latika Thakral, co-founder, Iam Gurgaon, which maintains the biodiversity park at DLF 3 in the Aravallis, said, “Huda should plan for corporate funding, as it is the only way to make it a model park. It should invite green activists, horticulture experts to ensure proper upkeep. This park is falling into disrepair for want of funds.”

Naresh Pawar, additional chief engineer, Huda, Haryana, said, “The idea of handing over park to the RWA or arrange corporate funding is a good one and we will take it up with the appropriate authority.”