East Delhi gets a green patch by Sanjay Lake side after 15-year wait

After years of wait, the residents of east Delhi can boast of a seven-kilometre walking track, a play area, a recreational zone facing the water body, an open gymnasium and a duck house in the 170 acre Sanjay lake near Mayur Vihar.

The DDA has completed the first phase of the development of Sanjay lake, under which 20 acres of area has been redeveloped. In the next phase, the remaining area and the 40-acre lake would be revived.

“In the next two months, the DDA will complete the work on the four-kilometre cycle track, after which the work on revival of the water body will begin,” said a DDA official.

The plan to develop the park was conceived in 2002, but had hit several roadblocks due to boundary walls being broken by miscreants from the neighbouring areas and work being executed at a slow pace. The area was even used for open defecation till few years ago.

A detailed plan, however, was made in 2015 and an amended proposal for development of the project was formed, which included food plaza, boating facility, amphitheatre and several other recreational facilities.

Shravani Saxena, a resident of Mayur Vihar, said, “There is hardly any open space in east Delhi. The parks do not have cycle tracks and the DDA sports centres are chargeable. This is a good place for joggers and morning walkers of the area.”

However, some residents said they hope the DDA revive the water body as soon as possible. “The project has been delayed by the DDA. We have been demanding an open area since years. Though the work was done at a fast pace in the past one year, we hope that the remaining portion and especially the water body is revived quickly. This will also help in ground water recharge,” said Vinamr Bhatia, who jogs in the park.

The project has costed around Rs 2 crore till now. The DDA officials said that the complete area would be developed in a year’s time.

The redevelopment of Sanjay lake serves important purpose for people living in east Delhi as the area is densely populated with hardly any big park or an urban forest.