by Surjit (a concerned resident)
Recently we have had a very disturbing observation, for what’s happening unilaterally, at the ‘lungs of VK’ – Vasant Kunj Vatika, the pride of the colony.
a) How has the name of the Park changed (it surely was not a British name) and who is this late ‘Freedom Fighter’ in whose name our park is re-named, without taking into confidence the resident stake holders. His CV is known to none. One wonders how this great son of India is related to V Kunj or for that matter even to Delhi. It is given to understand that Govt/ DDA parks are being renamed?
(b) Vasant Vatika is a small park, keeping in mind, the size of VK population (and DDA’ aggression on every vacant place to construct more flats to cater to the VIP’s), also attracts Poorvanchal crowd of nearby Masudpur Dairy, Nangal Dewat and Rangpuri, besides the passers-by crowd. The park was further shortened by installing a huge stone board with red stone pathway and why this board was not located outside at the entrance parking.
(c) The park is open from early morning till late evening as a result all ‘vehlas’/ anti-socials use the park for their nefarious activities and litter the area (Zomato delivers food in the park).
(d) The venue was the only play ground for the kids in the area, and the whole big ground was dug up to make place for the visarjan of Ganesh idols. And later another portion for kaali visarjan and now preparations are on for the Chatt Puja. Huge JCB machine was used, with thick black poly sheet to store huge water tank in this water starved city (see the long lines for drinking water in the nearby slums) and mobile toilets with huge work force employed for a particular community. Won’t the other communities also demand similar arrangements for their festivities in this big democracy? Have the auditors assessed the cost of these arrangements, paid by the tax payers? The place is littered with plastic, leftover ‘vastars’ and wrappers besides the noise pollution caused in this Corona scenario.
