To,

The Mayor,

South Delhi Municipal Corporation

Respected Maam,

We have started this petition to request you to withdraw your proposal/decision to set up commercial kiosks in SDMC parks for selling milk, bread, fruit etc.  

The proposed plan negatively impacts the lives of residents of various colonies of South Delhi in various ways and will also adversely effect the environment of the city. This move of commercializing our parks, by setting up these kiosks has shocked the citizens of Delhi and there is absolutely no support from the citizens to this proposal as it will have the following adverse impacts:- 

1. Environment- It will have a major negative impact on the flora and fauna of the parks. Some species are already leaving the city due to habitat loss. Amidst rapidly growing concretization, public parks are the only green spaces available to the citizens of Delhi. Setting up of these kiosks will open the path to encroachment and will shrink & destroy these green spaces.

2.Security - Additional footfall due to these kiosks will pose security risks to the residents of the colony giving unwanted elements a reason for entering and loitering. Presently children, elders use these parks without any concern about their security as very few strangers ever visit these parks. However this will change once kiosks are set up. Given the already limited resources of policing and maintaining security by the authorities, it will be extremely difficult for RWAs to ensure any control or responsibility for colony security or the parks.

3. Health - Citizens use public parks for health activities like yoga, meditation, walk etc. Added unessential footfall will lead to disturbance in these activities and also compromise the serene atmosphere of the parks. Most importantly, it will lead to the avoidable gathering of people during COVID-19 times. Urban parks are "Green spaces set aside for recreational activities in towns and cities.” Green spaces cannot be encroached for any commercial use. Parks are planned on the basic concept of providing health benefits- physical, mental, spiritual and emotional well-being to the citizens and not with the idea of generating revenue.

4. Sanitation and Waste Disposal -  Commercial activity will create a big sanitation and waste problem. There is already a shortage of staff for upkeep and maintenance of these parks and now this minimal staff will be further burdened by the need to deal with the waste created due to these kiosk.There are no toilets in the parks for the staff and visitors to these kiosks and this will create a sanitation mess. In such a situation, this move to commercialise the parks will add to pollution and lack of hygiene and simply destroy them.

5. Increased Commercialization - It will add to already growing commercialization converting these green spaces into mini-markets. There are already enough milk, fruit stores eg Mother Dairy, Safal, DMS etc in addition to private vendors, so the need for these kiosks is questionable. 

Thus it's evident that the setting up of these kiosks serves no useful purpose except commercialising the few remaining green spaces of tranquility available in Delhi for the citizens.

We sincerely hope that the Corporation will not take any steps which will have destroy these parks and have an adverse effect on the already critical condition of Delhi's environment.

It's also relevant to state that any attempt to encroach upon the parks for commercial purposes like setting up this kiosks will be illegal and will not pass legal scrutiny by the National Green Tribunal as it will have adverse effect on the environment.

You are the Mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and thus we request you to hear the voice of the citizens and withdraw the proposal to set up commercial kiosks in the parks.

Please Sign This Petition and join us in requesting Mayor, South Delhi Municipal Corporation to withdraw the proposal to set up commercial kiosks in parks of South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

We also request the Chief Minister of Delhi, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi & Ramesh Bidhuri, M.P. to intervene in the matter

Aditya Dubey & Aman Banka