The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to bring in private agencies to manage and maintain its larger parks, including several iconic heritage gardens, in a bid to improve upkeep and address chronic manpower shortages, senior officials aware of the civic agency’s plans said on Monday. The plan includes historic parks like Roshanara Bagh. (HT Archive)

Under a new pilot project, MCD will outsource the maintenance of all larger parks in the Karol Bagh zone. If successful, the model will be expanded to all 12 MCD zones, officials said.

“The plan includes historic parks like Roshanara Bagh, Qudsia Bagh and Ajmal Khan Park,” said a senior MCD official. “In Roshanara Bagh, we are already undertaking a revamp project, including development of the historic lake. We also plan to involve an NGO for its maintenance.”

Parks larger than three acres will be included in this initiative. Maintenance tasks will cover gardening, pruning, sweeping, cleaning, and nursery upkeep. Bids for the Karol Bagh zone are scheduled to be finalised on July 8, with the contract expected to cost ₹3.24 crore. Of the 762 parks in Karol Bagh, 42 are over 4,047 sq m, 119 between 2,023–4,047 sq m, and the rest are smaller.

The move comes amid the corporation facing an acute shortage of gardeners across Delhi, the official cited above said.

MCD, which oversees 15,226 parks spanning 5,172 acres across its 12 zones, struggles to maintain these green spaces due to insufficient staff. Nearly 90% of these parks are “housing area parks” (HAP), covering less than 5,000 sq m, serving as vital recreational areas for residents.

MCD, which oversees 15,226 parks spanning 5,172 acres across its 12 zones — Centre, South, West, Najafgarh, Rohini, Civil Lines, Karol Bagh, SP City, Keshavpuram, Narela, Shahdara North and Shahdara South— struggles to maintain these green spaces due to insufficient staff.

Nearly 90% of these parks are “housing area parks” (HAP), covering less than 5,000 sq m, serving as vital recreational areas for residents.

Officials said that park contractors will be required to use mobile apps to document maintenance work and respond to complaints. “RWAs and MCD officers can raise issues through the app. Complaints must be resolved within 10 days, failing which a penalty of ₹500 per day will be levied,” an official said. “There are also heavy fines for neglect or absence of staff.”

MCD officials noted that waste management in all zones is already outsourced to private concessionaires, and a similar model for park maintenance could ensure improved efficiency and accountability.