Park upkeep by private firms: RWAs slam move, call it ‘ill-conceived’

There are some individuals who have been managing parks for decades. Some RWAs state that they have been paying from their own pockets collectively to maintain the neighbourhood parks as the amount being given by the civic body is too meager.

Payments from the municipal corporation (MC) are also delayed and everyone contributes to maintain the parks. Privatisation of this may even see the civic body imposing entry charges to recover the amount given to firm, some residents feel.

Harpreet Kaur, Executive Member, Green Care Society Sector 46A stated that they have been maintaining the parks for almost twenty years now, with the help of neighbours.

“Since 2003, we are maintaining the parks with the help of our neighbours. In 2013, the MC started giving out funds to our RWA. We didn’t let the maintenance get affected due to Covid too. In most cases, we receive the funds late from MC and we have to use money from our own pockets,” Harpreet said.

Sector 27 is also a park that is being maintained after residents collectively contribute money every month. “Our residents have been maintaining this since 2002 by collecting money every month without the MC’s help,” Som Nath Saini, former president of Sector 27 RWA said.

In Dhanas as well, two parks are being maintained by nearby residents on their own, Avtar Singh, president Dhanas Milk Colony, stated. Similarly, in Sector 46 C too, residents maintain one park in front of their houses, by locally contributing.

The proposal of the MC to hire private contractors to maintain 1,800 neighborhoods parks is at Rs 10.17 per square metre, while 713 parks are being maintained by RWAs at Rs 4.15 per square metre.

“This proposal of the MC is ill conceived, illogical, and designed to marginalise functions of RWAs.On one side, the MC has already been facing fund crunch and to supplement its income, they go on enhancing charges of various facilities. If they have worked out financial liability, on this proposal, where will the extra funds be arranged from? About 10-12 years back, the MC had given contract of maintenance of green belts in Sector 46. The work was found most unsatisfactory. Consequently on our complaints, the contractor was removed,” a resident said on condition of anonymity.

He added, “Moreover, the contractor is being paid 2.5 times more, what additional work he is performing?”

Federation of Sectors Welfare Association (FoSWAC) is also planning to give a representation to the UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit and UT Adviser Dharam Pal.

RK Garg from Second Innings Association said that outsourcing the park upkeep is not a wise decision. “I think out sourcing of all parks to contractors at higher rates is not prudent decision, we know the working of contractors. We have experienced that RWAs are working in a better way and this ensures participation of people of all sectors. Yes, some RWAs are like business enterprises and maintaining of parks is their business. Such entities should be discouraged. For that purpose, a committee of councillors should be entrusted the work of identifying such RWAs to control their activities. Outsourcing to companies is opposed by members of SIA,” he said.