Conditions of children's parks deplorable, Delhi HC told

The Delhi High Court was Wednesday informed that the condition of children's parks in the city was "deplorable" and the facilities there were like "death traps".

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) later assured the court of improving them.

Advocate Nidesh Gupta, who was appointed amicus curiae to assist the court in the case, told the court that most of the swings in the parks were damaged and bound to cause injuries.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw asked Gupta to come up with suggestions to improve the parks.

It also asked civic agencies and the DDA to rectify the deficiencies in the parks.

The bench had earlier sought a status report from civic agencies on the issue and directed them to take immediate steps to improve the parks.

Gupta, however, told the court that the report by the civic agencies was "misleading".

He said he had visited various children's parks in the city and filed pictures that depicted the poor facilities there.

"All the swings, slides and other facilities are in bad condition. From all the swings, nails are coming out. It's a death trap condition there. Electrical wires are spreading all over. There is no one to guide the children," he told the court.

Advocate Sanjeev Sabarwal, appearing for the DDA, assured the bench that it will improve the children's parks.

The court had taken suo motu cognizance of a letter written by Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph asking it to take up the issue so that children get a "congenial atmosphere in these parks befitting their age and dignity".

Justice Joseph, after visiting two children's parks at India Gate and Lake Park near Sarojini Nagar, and seeing their deplorable condition, expressed displeasure that no responsible authority was maintaining those parks.

He wrote to the high court, saying it was an issue of "serious concern" for children visiting the parks and their deplorable condition was a "violation of human rights of children".

"In both the parks, I could infer that there was no responsible authority maintaining it. There was no one to guide the children. I feel there is a serious violation of human rights of the children as it is their right in their tender times to have a decent environment to play and frolic around," he said.