After teen's gangrape, audit finds only 16 of 736 DDA parks have CCTVs

Just 16 of the 736 parks managed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) have CCTV cameras, a safety audit carried out after the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at a south Delhi park has found, putting the security in the city's green spaces under scrutiny.

The audit, completed within a week of Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu’s directions, classified 190 parks as high-risk, 258 as medium-risk and 288 as low-risk, the DDA said in a statement on Friday. It added that immediate interventions were being prioritised in high-risk parks.

On September 21, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped inside the 142-acre Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Temple. The class 7 girl was visiting the park with a 17-year-old male friend on her 17th birthday when the accused posed as policemen and approached them, before committing the crime. The incident sparked a massive outrage and raised concerns about security and patrolling in public parks.

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The DDA audit found that 520 parks need additional lighting and 323 additional parks need CCTV cameras. Of the 520 parks identified for additional lighting, work in 231 is being taken up on an immediate basis; lighting work has been completed in 106 parks. The authority also identified 163 parks where gates need to be made lockable.

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Boundary security remained another concern. Repair work and replacement of missing grills have been addressed in 233 of the 399 parks identified for such interventions. Areas around toilets and abandoned structures have also been flagged for corrective action.

Night patrolling has begun in 245 major parks, while bike patrolling has started in all high-risk parks. The DDA has identified 134 parks requiring gunmen. Biometric attendance has been activated in 602 parks, with implementation pending in the remaining parks.

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Safety information boards have been installed in 115 parks, while 484 additional signages are under implementation. Contact details of local police and beat officers have been shared with field staff across all parks, the authority said.

The DDA is preparing standard operating procedures covering patrolling, guard performance, supervisor accountability, attendance, incident reporting and police coordination. Security-related tender provisions are also being updated. Meetings with resident welfare associations have begun to identify park-specific concerns.

A central monitoring dashboard has been established, and senior officers are conducting weekly inspections. Principal Commissioner-level visits were held at Yamuna Biodiversity Park on September 30 and Kamla Nehru Ridge Park on October 1.