MCD plans new park for people with disabilities
Officials in MCD’s horticulture department said the park will cost an estimated ₹1.2 crore, and will likely be ready by January 2024
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has invited bids to construct the Capital’s first park dedicated to the differently abled, MCD officials aware of the project said on Thursday. The two-acre park, they said, will be built in east Delhi’s Loni under the central government’s AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme.
Officials in MCD’s horticulture department said the park will cost an estimated ₹1.2 crore, and will likely be ready by January 2024. The process to select a developer is likely to be completed by September 30, they said.
Currently, four Indian cities have parks dedicated to the differently abled — Thane, Tikamgharh, Ujjain, and Hoshangabad — while another is under development in Nagpur.
An MCD official said Delhi’s park will feature open gym equipment specially designed for the differently abled, play equipment for children, and various interventions to improve accessibility. “This exercise equipment has been designed with help from mobility experts who work on different types of locomotor disabilities and similar divyang parks in other parts of the country,” the official said.
The project report finalised by the civic body, a copy of which has been seen by HT, said the open gym equipment will comprise six types of installations — chest press, arm extension, arm wheels, arm cycle, arm exerciser, and pull up racks — all of which can be utilised while sitting on a wheelchair. The park will have pathways and surfaces made of a synthetic rubber floor to prevent injuries, along with gazebos and sitting areas around a food court.
MCD currently oversees 15,226 municipal parks across the city, which are spread over an area of 5,172 acres. The corporation has so far installed outdoor open gym equipment at 1,756 parks, while play equipment for children has been installed at 1,300 sites. However, so far, none of these parks caters specifically for the differently abled.
A second MCD official said the park will feature a series of plants for sensory exploration. “Each of these plants will have description and explanation about them in braille, while we will also have audio recordings of description before each enclosure. This park will be able to cater to people from different types of locomotor, visual as well as learning disabilities,” the official said.
He added that the park will have three distinct sections — fitness trails, children’s corner, and musical equipment galleries.
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