Delhi Mayor gives instructions to install CCTV cameras in women-only parks: MCD

An official said, 'It will also help is controlling illegal activities and crime against women that often get reported in public parks.'

New Delhi: Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has directed officials to install CCTV cameras in women-only 'pink parks' operational across zones of the MDC to ensure the safety and security of women visiting these parks, an official said on Monday.

The civic body's horticulture department may soon start the work on installing the CCTV camera in its women-only parks that are being built across its 250 wards, the official told PTI.

"The mayor has given instruction to install the CCTV cameras in the women-only parks to provide a safe and secure environment to the women and children who visit these parks," the official said.

It will also help is controlling illegal activities and crime against women that often get reported in public parks, the official added.

According to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Delhi recorded the highest cases of crime against women among the 19 metropolitan cities in 2022.

The capital witnessed a 1.25 per cent year-on-year increase in crime against women to 14,158 cases from 13,982 in 2021, the data showed.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had in July last year urged Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to take stock of the rising crime against women in the city and engage the police after a young woman was murdered in a park in south Delhi.

"We often get complaints from locals regarding illegal activities, including drug consumption, in public parks. If the MCD installs CCTV in these areas, it will definitely help in curbing the menace," a Delhi Police official told PTI.

Currently, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has 15 to 20 women-only parks operational in the city and the civic body is in the process of building a total of about 250 such parks in each of its wards across the city, the MCD official said.

The corporation is yet to prepare a plan for installing CCTV camera but may soon come up with a proposal and hire an agency to undertake the work, the official added.