Latest News | Old Delhi Residents Rue Lack of Sunlight, Playing Space Due to Encroachment on MCD Public Parks

New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) Residents in the Jama Masjid area of old Delhi grudge over the encroachment of public parks by scrap dealers, hawkers, and drug addicts -- leaving no space for children to play and families to take a walk.

Locals in the area said that a lack of a safe and hygienic park in the area force them to go to distant places to enjoy leisure time under the sun with their families.

Also Read | Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: When Is Voting and Result? How To Vote, Check Name in Voter List? How To Find Polling Station? Know Everything Here.

"We don't get enough sun exposure in the homes in Old Delhi due to the cramped lanes here which restrict sun rays from directly entering our homes. The parks here are also unhygienic and not safe for women," a resident of the Jama Masjid locality said.

"We have to go to far-off places to let our children play in a garden or simply enjoy time with our family," another resident added.

Also Read | Tiger Population in India: Annual Tiger Census in West Bengal’s Sunderbans to Begin from November 27.

Every 70 in 100 patients in the area's Kasturba Hospital suffer from vitamin-D deficiency also due to little sun exposure besides nutrient deficiency, a resident doctor of the civic facility said.

She added that these patients are usually women and people coming from poor families.

"Almost 70 per cent of our patients suffer from vitamin-D deficiency which is mainly caused by lack of sun exposure as well as nutritional deficiency. They are mostly women and people from slum areas," she said.

An MCD park for children in front of the Masjid -- Urdu Park -- has turned into a place for illegal activities, locals said adding that drug addicts, hawkers and scrap dealers continue to occupy the park despite court's order.

According to a vendor, these activities are taking place under the watch of the authorities. He alleged that hawkers are allowed to keep their carts inside the park in exchange of money from the dealers.

"We are allowed to keep our carts inside the park overnight by the dealers here who charge money from us on a daily basis," the vendor said.

Scrap dealers have been seen keeping a stock of plastic bags and other scrap materials inside the park even in the presence of an MCD official deputed for the maintenance of the park.

Speaking to PTI, an MCD official on the site said that he doesn't have the power to remove the illegal dwellers inside the park.

"We have told these people (illegal dwellers) to vacate the park many times. But they don't listen to us. It's not in my power to remove them from here. Senior officials from the Municipal will look into this," he said.

Another MCD park -- Maulana Azad Park -- was seen open to the public amid pressure after the court's order to take possession of the park.

"The park was closed for a while but now it has been opened for the public after orders by the authorities," a guard said adding that vendors who have put up their shops on the park's boundaries refuse to budge from their place despite asking them to remove their shops.

The High Court on November 17, ordered the MCD to take assistance from the police if required to take possession of the two parks abutting Jama Masjid.

Officials from the MCD told PTI that the court's order will be implemented and necessary action to free the parks from encroachers will be taken soon.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)