Facelift on cards, Badshapur drain to become a picnic spot

GURUGRAM: At a time, when the construction of the Badshapur drain is nearing completion, the authorities have come up with a beautification plan on the sides of the canal. Under the new plan, cycle and walking tracks will be built along with the road along with a green belt.
The project is expected to provide a recreational spot for families.

According to officials, the move comes after it was noticed that the area alongside Badshapur drain — which is being built in a box format — had been encroached upon and several areas along the stretch had turned into a garbage dumping ground. To check this, the civic authorities came up with a proposal to develop a recreational space along the drain.

Beautification work will be done alongside the 6km-long stretch of the drain. A 30-metre wide track, including a cycle and pedestrian track, will be developed which will also have a green belt. As per the plan, the cycle track will be built above the box drain’s cover, while the jogging and walking track will be built on the sides. The green belt will include both shading trees and floral plants. Besides this, there will be recreational facilities like swings, open gymnasium, benches and gazebos among others.

Since there are multiple revenue roads that intersect the drain, the plan includes parking facilities near such roads. The work on each stretch will be done in phases. “We have started with the levelling of both sides of the drain and will also see if the drain cover needs any further concretisation to support the cycle track. Our plan is to develop the stretch as a destination for people to hangout and for that detailed planning will be done separately for every stretch,” said Ajay Nirala, executive engineer, horticulture department.

The beautification work will be conducted as part of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) by multiple agencies including a NGO and financial institution. The work will be executed in phases and the project cost will vary as per the infrastructure developed and budget of the CSR partners, said the officials.