New Delhi, March 5 The Delhi government plans to convert a 50-acre garbage dumping ground along the Najafgarh drain into an 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial' garden, which will include walkways, an amphitheater, a basketball court, and a badminton court, officials said on Thursday.
According to a plan by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC), the project will also include the installation of a 12-foot-high statue of the former prime minister, along with fountains and extensive greenery around it.
"An initiative has been taken to transform the underutilized 50-acre land along the Najafgarh Drain into a green, inclusive community space named 'Atal Garden'. The project will reflect the former prime minister's vision of development with a focus on the environment, culture, and people," said Delhi I&FC Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh.
The Atal Garden project report stated that a total of 6,000 trees will be planted, including amaltash, neem, sirus, gulmohar, mango, and the area will be greened.
"The 50-acre piece of land along the Najafgarh Drain in Nawada Village was a dumping ground for municipal solid waste and construction and demolition (C&D) waste. It was filled with dirt, which obstructed the drains in the area, leading to widespread mosquito breeding and foul odors," a government report said. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 9 crore.
The department, which has the primary responsibility for managing flood control efforts, has also engaged 66 different types of machines in the desilting exercise of major drains that have an outfall into the Yamuna river.
"The machines include 16 hydraulic excavators, 18 draglines, 11 backhoe loaders (JCB), four trash skimmers, six DUCs, two weed harvesters, two amphibious hydraulic excavators, one water master, two mini excavators, and four dozer machines," the report said.
Out of the total machines, four weed harvesters have been deployed in the Yamuna river. The desilting work will increase the carrying capacity of storm water drains, potentially reducing waterlogging episodes, it added.
The I&FC department currently maintains 57 major storm water drains, including the two outfall drains of Najafgarh and Shahdara. Twenty additional drains were transferred to the department last year. All the drains end up in the Yamuna, the report added.