Delhi to develop 17 world-class level city forests on 3000 acres of land

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday directed officials to transform 17 city forests in the national capital to "world-class level" city forests.

"These world-class city forests will be developed in an area of about 3000 acres across 17 locations of Delhi. A detailed plan will be chalked out and submitted to the Chief Minister in 15 days," reads an official statement on Wednesday.

As part of the Mukhyamantri Park Saundaryakaran Yojna, 1,500 parks are being transformed in collaboration with 450 Resident Welfare Association (RWAs) under a unique community parks initiative.

Parks, spread over an area of 500 acres, are being developed by the Delhi Parks and Gardens Society in collaboration with local RWAs, NGOs and MLAs.

"The Kejriwal Government will fund the development of 5 thousand parks in Delhi." says the official statment.

Under the scheme, 16,828 parks will be surveyed in Delhi. So far 6,396 parks have been surveyed. Of these, 3,565 parks have been identified as those not being maintained upto standards. After surveying all the locations, appropriate steps will be taken with the help of RWAs/NGOs to transform them into world-class parks.

"Under its vision for Delhi@2047 to make Delhi a modern, equitable and sustainable city, the Kejriwal Government has launched the Community Parks Initiative to transform the neighbourhood parks of Delhi into modern, world-class parks," reads the official note.

These parks would not only improve the ecology but also the overall quality of life for the residents of Delhi.

The parks are expected to have Public conveniences including adequate lighting, CCTVs, toilets, a dedicated play area for toddlers, children and adolescents with child-friendly play equipment, open air gyms, gazebos, covered seating area, Walking, jogging and cycling tracks, open air gyms, water bodies, Composting, rainwater harvesting, irrigation supply, power backup, Native trees, flowers and shrubs.