- Delhi MCD plans to establish dedicated 'Pink Parks' across all 250 wards.
- Initiative aims to create safe and secure public recreational spaces exclusively for women.
- Plan comes days after protests by women over DDA's 'lock the parks after sunset' approach.
Delhi News: In a developmental move for women, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has rolled out an initiative to establish dedicated 'Pink Parks' across all 250 wards of the national capital. The directive has come from the Corporation's Standing Committee Chairperson, Satya Sharma, aiming to create safe and secure public recreational spaces exclusively for women. Officials have been directed to conduct a survey in all the zones to identify the best locations where pink parks could be developed.
Satya Sharma also held a meeting with Additional Commissioner Sanjeev Mittal and officials from the Parks Department and stated that it is important to provide women with a safe and comfortable environment for morning and evening walks.
Rainwater Harvesting Systems in Pink Parks
Developing rainwater harvesting systems in the women's parks has also been discussed in the meeting. Directives have been given to check the potential in each ward so that rainwater can be conserved and groundwater levels can be improved.
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What Is MCD Planning For the Pink Parks?
The proposed pink parks will have the following facilities.
- Slogans related to women's empowerment.
- Guards at the gates for security.
- All parks will be based on a 'pink' theme.
- Benches and walls will also be coloured pink.
- Cleanliness will be given special importance.
- Rainwater harvesting to be included in the parks.
Are MCD's Pink Parks a Band-Aid Solution to Women's Safety?
Interestingly, MCD's Pink Park initiative comes days after political heat and protests by women college students over DDA and civic authorities' restrictive 'lock the parks after sunset' approach. To the uninitiated, after the huge public outrage and student-led protest over the alleged assault of a minor at Astha Kunj Park, the DDA and civic authorities restricted women's entry to parks after sunset.
This restriction faced severe backlash from women, student activists and civil society groups. They argued that banning entry to public spaces curtails women's right to freedom instead of fixing the cause of safety issues.
Now the question arises: is MCD's pink park move a quick fix to the public outrage and pressure? Would enclosed, dedicated spaces provide the necessary safety needed by women? According to activists and student protestors, surface-level measures always bypass the structural measures required to fight violence and harassment.
Segregating spaces or restricting hours doesn't uproot the actual cause; rather, it leaves the culture of crime in Delhi streets unchallenged.