Addl Inputs: Improving Community Parks/Gardens

Below are the key issues, root causes and solutions as suggested by you to improve community parks and gardens.

Kindly review them and if you have any additional inputs, please share.

We will soon put the whitepaper together and share with the key stakeholders so actions can be taken on this front.

Swachh Bharat Mission

Improving Community Parks and Gardens - Solutions

1. The municipality should hire gardeners and assign specific areas to them. All the parks and gardens in the assigned areas should be maintained by them
2. RWAs should be instructed to make sure that they are doing local monitoring and no garbage heaps are lying around in colony/neighborhood parks
3. RWAs should be empowered to fine people throwing garbage in parks and gardens in their area
4. Lights should be installed in all parks and gardens
5. A structured, ward wise plan should be made to construct walking paths inside parks
6. Drainage system of the parks should be revived so that they don’t get flooded during rains
7. NGOs/corporates should be roped in to build and maintain toilets in parks and gardens
8. Dustbins should be installed at a distance of every 25 meters in parks and gardens
9. Cattle grazing should be strictly prohibited inside parks
10. All encroached lands earmarked for parks & gardens must be freed immediately by enactment of special laws
11. All dues related to the maintenance work of the parks and gardens should be cleared on time
12. A budget should be earmarked every year for the maintenance of parks and gardens in every constituency/ward.

Community Parks and Gardens – Root Causes

1. Maintaining parks and gardens is not a priority for civic bodies
2. People have a habit of throwing garbage in park corners
3. Making walking paths is not a priority for the authorities
4. The maintenance work of gardens and parks is not completed because of the non-payment of dues
5. Corporations always project shortage of funds when it comes to parks and gardens
6. With the ever increasing number of cars, some RWAs have no option but to convert parks into parking areas
7. There are no rules and regulations against the hawkers selling stuff in parks and gardens
8. Many RWAs do not take enough interest in taking the responsibility of maintaining the parks in their area
9. The civic bodies are never taken to task for not maintaining the parks well
10. The complaint redressal channel is almost non-existent
11. Builders bribe the authorities to look the other way while they encroach parks and gardens
12. Local corporates/ business/ factories establishment are not encouraged to adopt parks.

Community Parks and Gardens – Issues

1. No gardener appointed by the corporation to look after the parks
2. Many parks become open garbage dumping areas
3. Parks don’t have lights
4. Even if they have lights, there is no electricity connection in many community parks
5. Lack of walking paths in the parks
6. The uneven tiles or broken tiles on some footpaths cause many accident
7. Parks and gardens get flooded during the rainy season
8. Most community parks don’t have toilets
9. There are no or very few dustbins in most parks and gardens
10. No playing area/equipment for children
11. Cattles gaze in the parks
12. Parks are not cleaned regularly
13. Dog litter is a big concern
14. The land mafia is encroaching upon the parks and gardens
15. Community parks do not have sufficient parking
16. Many parks themselves are converted in car parks
17. Local vendors, hawkers take charge of outside peripheral wall making it a messed up area and get away by paying a monthly amount to the local municipal supervisor. more