In a unique protest against the denial of legal documentation for a 40-year-old park in Malviya Nagar Sector 9, local residents organised a Wisdom Yajna—a ritual to seek wisdom—for the employees of the board. During the yajna, residents made offerings and expressed their hope for the board employees to act wisely.
The residents urged the board administration to promptly issue the necessary legal document for the longstanding park.
The Wisdom Yajna, conducted under the banner of the Malviya Nagar Development Committee, witnessed the participation of office bearers, including Committee Chairman Arbi Agrawal, along with male and female members, and senior citizens from the colony. Pandits performed Vedic rituals at the park’s site, seeking wisdom from the board employees with the expectation that they would expedite the issuance of the legal document for the park.
Arbi Agrawal explained that the land had been earmarked for the park for the past 40 years. However, a few years ago, the board administration altered its land use designation to commercial, posing a threat to its protected status.
Currently, the board is preparing to auction the land for revenue generation, while local residents have diligently maintained and protected the area by planting trees over an extended period. The construction of boundary walls for park development, initiated by the municipal corporation, was halted by local residents. According to residents, the construction of the park was funded by contributions from the local legislator’s funds, who allocated Rs 600,000 for this purpose. Despite persistent efforts, including sending a memorandum to Kalicharan Saraf, the legal document for the park has not been issued.
Local residents submitted a memorandum to Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot opposing the Housing Board administration’s decision. They emphasized the need for the issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the park.
Additionally, they met with Housing Board Commissioner Kumar Pal Gautam, presenting a memorandum and discussing their concerns. While reassurances have been received from various quarters, concrete actions are yet to be taken.
