The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Monday unveiled a one of a kind park, designed using waste materials generated from the Delhi Metro’s construction sites.
Located in east Delhi’s Shastri Park, the Prakriti Metro Park was inaugurated by National Green Tribunal chairperson Swatanter Kumar and DMRC managing director Mangu Singh.
Lake with a fountain
Spread over 10 acres, the park boasts a host of facilities, including an auditorium, amphitheatre, meditation alcove, a playground for children and a gymnasium. A lake with a fountain, surrounded by a rain forest, has also been created.
A DMRC spokesperson said: “The highlights include artistic installations created using waste materials generated at our construction sites. Artists from across the country came together to create these installations, all of which carry messages about a range of issues. Almost one-third of the material used in the park is salvaged material.”
The creators have taken extra effort to depict a connection with the environment in both the design and construction of the park. Apart from paintings depicting the importance of protecting the environment, the park will use top soil dug out from various underground station sites to plant medicinal and pollution absorbing plants. Treated water will be used for irrigation and the organic waste generated will be treated.
Platinum rating
“Due to these features, the park has received a platinum rating from the Indian Green Building Council. The water required for horticultural use will be provided by the sewerage water treatment plant and the 20kW power requirements will be met by solar power generators.”
Another highlightis the ‘Trellis Court,’ which has eight pillars in the centre that increase in height progressively — charting the growth and expansion of the metro.
Justice Kumar said: “The DMRC has not only contributed excellence in transportation but it stands out for two more things — it’s environmentally conscious and it makes effort to be self-reliant. With this park, the DMRC has begun a new chapter in CSR. It will set a good precedence for others in the corporate sector to follow.”
