The Hindu : Nehru Place Greens being taken back for `beautification'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 28, 2003

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Nehru Place Greens being taken back for `beautification'

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI JAN. 27. Delhi Development Authority has clarified that the seven-acre Nehru Place Greens, being maintained by Paharpur Business Centre since 1996, is only being taken back by it for "beautification'' and not for commercial use.

The spokesperson of DDA, Neemo Dhar, today said the area would be "maintained as green only'' and was being taken back on the directions of Delhi's Lieutenant-Governor.

In a statement, the spokesperson said, "it is for anyone to verify that the area has been fenced with a shabby-looking high-rise wall and the greens are not at all visible from outside''. Since the whole area was being maintained shabbily, presenting a poor look to the District Centre, it was decided on the directions of the Lieutenant-Governor that the area be taken back by DDA.

Since the park has nearly 2,000 trees and the PBC had contended that these would be cut as the area was being taken back for commercial exploitation through construction of parking lots, night bazaars and kiosks for displaced hawkers, Ms Dhar clarified that this perception was "totally wrong'' as DDA plans to maintain the area as green only with proper landscaping and grass with a low wall with a grille to make it visible from outside.

In fact, she claimed that redevelopment of Nehru Place is being taken up as part of an upgradation programme for various district centres like Bhikaiji Cama Place, Nehru Place and Zamrudpur, and Nehru Place Greens was included in the plan since the development of greens, circulation system and pathways was part of the overall plan.

Stating that already Rs 2 crores have been spent on Bhikaiji Cama Place, the spokesperson said the centres after redevelopment would be handed over to the allottees, who would raise a corpus fund on the basis of the area allotted to them for maintaining these common portions. Work on the Nehru Place district centre is expected to begin soon, she added.

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