Delhi’s municipal corporation is preparing to open seven animal-themed parks across the city, with three expected to be ready by November and the remaining four scheduled for completion by the end of January. The projects are designed to convert conventional neighbourhood parks into interactive play spaces for children under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation scheme.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is currently completing work at the parks, which will include large animal sculptures, slides, play equipment, seating areas, dustbins and other basic facilities. The civic body said the designs were being adapted to available space while keeping children’s safety and engagement central to the projects.
Three parks in Janakpuri, Greater Kailash-II and Saket are receiving finishing touches. An MCD official said several interactive play structures had already been installed and that workers were spreading sand around them to reduce the risk of injuries during play.
The parks will use different themes at different locations. A section of Ajmal Khan Park will be based on an octopus, with its tentacles designed to function as slides. At M Block Park in Greater Kailash-II, Garuda will be the main attraction. Parks near PVR Saket will use insect themes, while the Swasthya Vihar Park near Laxmi Nagar District Centre will feature marine-life sculptures.
A park in Mayur Vihar Phase-III will centre on a large peacock. Its wings will serve as slides, its legs as stairs and the lower section of its tail as a seating platform. The marine-themed park will have dustbins shaped like sea creatures, alongside benches, swings and play equipment resembling tortoises, jellyfish and starfish.
Other planned themes include Mowgli at a park near the Mayapuri DTC depot and an aeroplane at a park near Janakpuri West metro station. The designs are intended to make the parks more immersive, with features that allow children to climb, crawl and interact with the structures.
The sculptures are being made using reinforced plastic, glass-reinforced cement fibre and other composite materials. The MCD said the materials had been selected with durability and safety in mind. The parks will also include educational activities, including puzzles that allow children to match pictures of creatures with their names.
According to the civic official, each park’s facilities will revolve around its chosen theme, with modifications made according to the size and layout of the site. The first three parks are expected to open by November, while work on the remaining four is scheduled to continue until the end of January.
