URJA Newsletter. Focus on Implementing Policies Rather Than Creating New Ones. Inside this issue: Street Dogs/ 2-3 Smart RWA

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1 February 2017, Issue 2 Empowering Last Mile Governance Special points of interest: The absence of the Government of Delhi from both implementation and enforcement is creating serious problems for the city. Delhi s (un)preparedness for Natural Disasters Case For Widespread Public Consultation in planning and execution Good Samaritans Encouragement and Training Inside this issue: Street Dogs/ 2-3 Smart RWA Solid Waste Management/ Water Conservation URJA IIC Round Table on Delhi Air Pollution/ Badarpur Issues Government- URJA Updates Focus on Implementing Policies Rather Than Creating New Ones The Master Plan, MPD 2021 for Delhi projects a population of 23 Million (2.3 Crores) inhabitants by The World Health organization (WHO) estimates Delhi having already reached a population of 25 Million. This is more than a 100% increase or more than double the population of Delhi in As per 2011 Census of Government. Of India, Delhi Population stood at 17 Million (1.7 Crores) in The Area of Delhi is static at 1483Sq. Km. The Population density, one of the highest in the world is at about 12,000 /Sq. Km with East Delhi reaching 30,000/Sq. Km These are humungous figures whichever source one chooses to believe and are straining the public services on roads, public land, health services, air and water quality, waste disposal, and education to their current limits. We have been unable to shore up municipal revenue, unable to deal with mismanagement of parking, footpaths, road hawking, encroachment on public land and other such challenges of the urban crisis in Delhi. The Master Plan for Delhi and many other policies made by the authorities such as Transit Oriented Development, Parking Management & Pricing policies created by UTTIPEC exist and it is not for us to quibble with them unnecessarily as these are policies made after much deliberation between experts, political executive and officers and are aligned with international best practices as well. However, it is evident that the optimum implementation and delivery of these policies has failed. The government does not have the wherewithal, even if it has the intention, to deliver. There is a lack of seriousness and reticence in implementing policies which are in place. The absence of the Government of Delhi from implementation and enforcement is creating serious problems for the city. 1.Failure of implementation is being read as failure of policy itself 2.The general belief of an inefficient bureaucracy is getting increasingly solidified. 3.The writ of the State is being eroded leading to public indiscipline. 4. A natural disaster in Delhi can have terrifying implications. The problem is serious and ignoring such issues have implications of a tipping point phenomenon where unbeknownst to us a series of consequences suddenly manifest at the same time leading to an unmanageable situation. We urge the GNCTD as well as the Central Government. to be mindful of this. URJA has for long advocated a process driven Structured Consultation Mechanism which includes the Local Elected Representative, The Civic Authorities & The RWA. While it is true that local politicians do separately and privately consult their party workers, and a few RWA, there is no process for a structured consultation mechanism. We also advocate training for citizens as well as school going children in disaster response as well as training & protocol to help accident victims. The word consultation need not scare the elected representatives and the government. We are clear that the decision must be taken by those statutorily empowered or obliged to. Administrative decisions must be taken, only by the Government. However, a structured process of communication and conversation is a very important tool in keeping a transparent & official record of community inputs. A wellstructured and recordable consultation and participation process allows for a sense of community responsibility and ownership of civic works, and reduces resistance that often stems from an inbuilt suspicion of the officialdom & political class. The recent agitation by the traders of Connaught Place on the Vehicle Free Plan of NDMC could easily have been avoided had the Council followed a proper & transparent consultation. This is not some newfangled idea. Structured and recordable consultative processes are practiced in Europe and the United States as well as African countries. These models are available and have worked for long. The 74th Constitutional amendment also speaks of them in its letter and spirit. For some reason our Governments have kept Delhi s citizen away from the benefits and ease of governance that naturally follows from such mechanisms. URJA hopes that the time and the atmosphere is right for our Lt. Governor and our Chief Minister to take note and act on this.

2 Page 2 Street Dog Sterilisation And The Approach That Can Be Taken By RWAs Ms Vasudha Mehta As most RWAs office bearers in Delhi are already aware, there is a street dog sterilization programme that has been ongoing in Delhi since 2002, (by the Municipal agencies as per the laws of the land and orders of the Honourable Supreme Court of India passed ever since 2001) to get street dogs sterilized and vaccinated as per the framed Central Rules and laws, namely the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules 2001 drafted under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act In Delhi, the MCD runs the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme for Street Dogs through about 10 Centres or ABC units across Delhi, run by various Animal Welfare organizations. The ABC programme has two major components, which are 'Sterilization of the Dog and vaccinating the dog against Rabies'. MCD reimburses these organisations for every Street Dog caught, sterilized and vaccinated against Rabies by them. Sterilization means surgical removal of dogs sex organs so that there are no pups born thereafter and population of dogs is restricted, this is the only legal and humane solution available for controlling the dog population. They cannot be killed, taken away or dislocated, all of these are a punishable offence besides being a counter productive exercise, as no sooner would these dogs be displaced that other dogs from neighbouring areas would take their place. Sterilized dogs can be identified by the tip of their right ear being cut / notched. I, in my voluntary capacity have been engaged in getting dogs in my area and near vicinity sterilized and the result is there have been no pups born in my colony for the past years. I suggest other RWA's to similarly build an amicable relationship with ABC units near their areas and request their help in systematically and scientifically targetting all street dogs in your area. Help would also be required from people who feed the dogs in doing a head count and even ensuring all get sterilized as random calls to the MCD will only lead to dogs running away when the MCD vehicle approaches or just 1 out of the 10 dogs in the society getting picked up by that vehicle and sterilized leaving 9 unsterilized dogs behind which would never help! One more thing to remember is please ensure the dogs that are sent for Sterilization to any ABC unit whatsoever are brought back/ released within 3 days of the surgery being done back to to the Area they belong to (which is what the Law states as well); this will ensure that the dogs don't contract any secondary infection at the hospital and do not succumb to shock, sickness or depression post surgery in a hospital (which is a new and scary surrounding for them too like it is for us humans). You are requested to please read through attached leaflet/infographic to make kids and adults alike aware on the Do's and Don'ts of behaving around street dogs so as to ensure a harmonious coexistence between man and it's best friend, the friendly and loyal neighbourhood Street dog :) P.S: JAAGRUTI runs an On-site Treatment and Vaccination service for Street Animals in North West Delhi primarily. This is run because we believe that street animals like street dogs recover sooner if they are treated on the streets where they reside and are at ease in the presence of their local caretakers; as opposed to being shunted in infection ridden animal hospitals with high mortality rates. The work protocol for JAAGRUTI's On-site Treatment and Vaccination service for Street Animals can be read on first-aid-and-vaccination-service-for-streetdogs-animals/ Ms Vasudha Mehta Co-founder and Trustee, JAAGRUTI

3 February 2017, Issue 2 Smarter Neighbourhoods for a Smart Delhi NCR Page 3 Smart RWAs For Tomorrow s Smart Cities Pradeep Lamba There are so many issues confronting RWAs today that one often does not know where to start and where to end. It is also a fact that in any RWA you cannot please all the people. This often leads to inertia and procrastination on the part of the RWA Executive Committees who feel wedged in between the unresponsive politicians and bureaucrats on the one hand and brewing discontentment due to perceived inaction within the RWA member community. The RWAs are also increasingly being called upon to expand their roles in the environmental and social responsibility space as key contributors to the sustainable development of the city and nation. So what does a progressive RWA do to dispel negative perceptions and channelize the latent energy of the combined resident RWA member community for sustainable development in partnership with the government? You have to be change leaders, be technology savy (If our PM can we can too!) prioritise, communicate, and work smart! Communicate, Communicate, Communicate Use Technology: Setup Whats App Groups, Face Book Pages, Websites Meet often: At Parks, Community Centres, Townhalls and discuss issues Print Media: Newsletters, Circulars, Notice Boards Show actions taken on Suggestions Made even if No Results or pending results Listen, Respond, Listen: Log all resident complaints in Registers, Databases, like Excel or Word or . Acknowledge all complaints and suggestions by Tel or . Separate Logs Of Civic complaints like Blocked sewers, and Colony issues like Car parking, Security, Stray Dogs etc. Ensure Civic Complaints are officially Logged with MCD, BSES, Jal Vihar and Gas Boards as applicable Encourage Solutions as part of Issue Logging Respond with Actions Proposed after due deliberations Write to government departments and follow-up frequently and regularly. Action Plan: Have a time bound Action Plan for all to see Periodic Review Meetings atleast quarterly of the Plan Progress Take Calculated Risks for resolving Deadlock situations, where consensus seems impossible Respond with Actions Proposed after due deliberations Write to government departments and followup frequently and regularly. Environment: Do what you can to control Construction Dust in colony Ensure Guidelines For Car parking for residents in a spirit of cooperation and community spirit Ensure Rain Water Harvesting in Parks and New Houses don t spill water Ensure Coverage of Colony with Rubbish Bins Encourage safe Recycling of Solid, Wet and e-waste (Like Batteries, Refrigerators etc) Ensure leaves are NOT burnt and are safely composted in designated areas Regular Swatchh Bharat Drives Ensure Adequate and Clean Toilets for Male and Female Domestic Workers and Casual labour Reclaim and Develop Footpaths for pedestrians Encourage Walking to access local amenities Health and Security Hold Regular Health Camps Install CCTV in phased manner to ramp up security Work With Community and MCD to take Pro-active action on Malaria, Dengue and Chickengunia before onset of Monsoons. Facilitate reporting to a centralized RWA reporting person on telephone, or Whats App Ensure that all Local Stray Dogs are sterlised and annually vaccinated for Anti-Rabies Injections Facilitate reporting of Dog Bites and after care for Dog Bite Victims Support National and State Campaigns: Blood Donation and Eye Camps Organ Donations Campaigns Governance: RWAs have to be Leaders and Change Agents You cannot do everything - Prioritise the Big Issues and go for quick wins where possible. Be Pro-active and not reactive in managing potential issues Arrange regular meetings with all your elected reps including Councilor, MLA and MP and be assertive in demanding action with regular written reminders, if no action, with copies to government Get into the habit of writing to Government Departments on issues and Follow-up in writing regularly Review and Change your constitution to incorporate progressive clauses on Adult Franchise, Elections, Audit, Women's and Children's Rights Ensure Meeting minutes are recorded and circulated to wider community for transparency Meet regularly with Police and Local SHO on common security issues and follow-up with minutes Raise voice on issues of illegal encroachments and vendors Engage and Support Pressure Group Organizations Like URJA who espouse the cause of RWAs Pradeep Lamba Ward Coordinator

4 Page 4 ROLE OF RWAS IN NEIGHBOURHOOD IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE: SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AND COMPOSTING: Ms Chitra S Jain Ms Chitra.S.Jain, Architect Planner, Visiting Faculty School of Planning and Architecture; Member Managing Committee, New RWAs are playing a significant role by taking up composting of organic waste at neighbourhood level. Educating, encouraging and ensuring segregation at source at household level is the first step in this direction With successive governments recognizing and acknowledging the importance of RWAs in aiding local governance, the role of RWAs today is more challenging and varied. In the context of solid waste management and reducing the load on landfills, RWAs are playing a significant role by taking up composting of organic waste at neighbourhood level. Educating, encouraging and ensuring segregation at source at household level is the first step in this direction. Case study New Friends Colony: New Friends Colony (A.B and C blocks), in ward no: 206, in South Delhi, with around 1500 households, is surrounded by four urban villages and has three dhallaos handling the solid waste from the colony as well as the villages. Ever over-flowing dhallaos are a common sight. Though the contribution of solid waste from the villages is higher than from the colony, the RWA decided to initiate composting at the colony level to reduce its load on the dhallaos. The RWA started working on the composting project in the month of April 2016, with help from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, though the actual composting began only in month of August. The Composting Process: NFC's journey 1. Identify location for composting: NFC's journey in composting began with identifying a location to set out the composting pits, for which one of the parks in B block of NFC was found suitable. The MCD horticulture department helped prepare four pits of size 9'-0" x 6'-0"x 3'-6". 2. Segregation of waste at source: The RWA then informed the residents of its intent to begin composting and requested them to segregate their waste into organic and recyclable waste. The garbage collectors who do door to door collection were provided with partitioned carts and were trained to segregate as they collect from the households. 3. Sifting and segregation before composting: The organic waste once it reached the composting area was again sifted to ensure no plastics, foils, coconut shells, bones or other inorganic material reach the pits. Some quantity of paper and cardboard pieces are desirable as they blot extreme moisture. 4. Composting: The organic waste was spread inside the pit using a shovel. On each layer of waste, a solution of EM( Effective Microorganism), gur and water was sprayed to prevent odour and flies (refer note below ), The waste was then mixed with a shovel or rake. If the waste was too moist then some paper/ card board pieces was mixed in to soak up the moisture. Once the first pit was full, it was covered with jute mats. The pits needed spraying with plain water once a day. Every 3 days the compost in them needed tossing inside out with a rake or shovel to ensure even drying. The first pit took three months to fill as it became too moist during the monsoons, delaying the composting process. 5. After 3 months: The waste now turned a deeper purplish colour and crumble on touch. It was then removed from the pit and placed on a big mat under the sun to completely dry it. Once it dried it was sieved for finer impurities and this rich organic manure was ready to be weighed and packed into bags for distribution. 6. Manpower: The RWA has employed two composters to monitor the operations. They double up as our garbage collectors. Ours started with a small setup of 4 pits, and about 60 homes segregating their kitchen waste of about 60 kgs per day. After eight months, two pits have matured, one is being filled and the last pit is vacant. Notes: EM is a liquid concentrate (brownish liquid suspension made by collecting and growing natural micro-organisms, available with Toxicslink, New Delhi. To prepare the solution, mix 50 litres of water with 1 litre of the EM solution and 2 kgs of gur in a drum and left to ferment for 5 days. On the 6th day this solution is ready to be sprayed on the waste in the comporting pits. 5 Lit. Ext Sol treats Kg garbage Covering the pits with Jute mats is beneficial, as Jute being porous, helps the compost to breathe. The challenges in implementing the neighbourhood level composting primarily relate to: - ensuring segregation of household waste at source. The RWA hopes to have more and more households commit to segregate at source. - increase scale of operations to make composting a financially viable model, for which availability of space for composting in all the blocks is a challenge. - We started composting in August, in between the Monsoon season and it took us 5 months to reap the benefits.

5 February 2017, Issue 2 Smarter Neighbourhoods for a Smart Delhi NCR Page 5 The best months to start are March onwards or after the rains by October. - Proper care has to be taken to ensure that the waste is not too wet or too dry. Cardboard and paper work as blotting agents. Water to be sprayed when it gets too dry. - Preventing rodents from digging tunnels and pushing in soil into the pits. In conclusion, the NFC experience can be very easily replicated by any RWA willing to align its objectives with the larger goal to reduce load on landfill sites while giving back to the residents useful manure for their gardens. Under ideal conditions, the turning cycle of one pit would be around 4 to 5 months. The compost worker spraying EM solution on the waste. The compost worker sifting the almost ready The almost ready compost pit. The compost left to dry. वन क आ र पवन क म र न प रक त न हम त न द रहन क त ए प र प त प न क प न उप ब ध कर य ह पर इसक त ए र र ह क हम वर स रक षण कर एव द तनक वन म प न क बब द र क प न क व स ततवक स थ त क अव कन क ब द त नगर Rwa न इस तदश म अट ट तनष ठ क स क य करन क फ स तकय त सक पररण म स वर प क 300 स अत क व टर अ म त नगर तनव तसय क घर म ग ऐ गए ह त सस औस न एक व टर ट क स 100 टर प न प रत तदन बचन ग य न टर प रत तदन = ह क ट टर एक व टर अ म गव न म त नगर Rwa क खच म 500 र पय आय पर प न और तब द न बचन क क रण प रत पररव र 1000/र पए क क बच ह ई स म र ष ट क महत वप ण स स न तब एव प न क बच ह ई और द ख -द ख और ग न भ स वय व टर अ म गव न आरम भ कर तदय हमन इस क य क तनरन तर र रख स क हमन 100 स अत क व टर अ म और गव य ह हमन 2012 म 2 थ न पर वर स चयन करव य ह त नक तनरन तर द खभ ह ह इनक survey NGT न भ तकय ह समय-समय पर प रब न पर क य श ओ क आय न, र म ओ म स रक षण पर स ट ग न और क ष य तनव तसय क यह सच ब र-ब र य द तद य क प न व य करन हर म म मह प प म न गय ह और हम ब क म प स म करन क ब द ह त क सक ह इस प रक र हम वर क म न क अन दर पह च न क ब द ह त क प ओग हम गव ह तक त नगर प र न मध यमवग य क न ह न क ब व द प न बच क म म म तमस प द क ह पवन क म र न स थ पक अध यक ष त नगर Mr Pawan K Jain President

6 Page 6 URJA Hosts Round Table On Delhi s Air Pollution The situation is truly dangerous and Citizens must wake up to this emergency and put pressure upon the Government to act with urgency. It was recognised that any problems of this magnitude cannot be handled without Governments taking the lead. URJA, the India International Centre( IIC) and The Indicus foundation organised a Round Table & Presentation on Delhi s Air Pollution issues on 3 Feb The main presentation was by Eminent Economist (and environmentalist) Dr. Laveesh Bhandari to highlight some unique perspectives on the Air Pollution catastrophe that Delhi faces. The situation is truly dangerous and Citizens must wake up to this emergency and put pressure upon the Government to act with urgency. It was recognised that any problems of this magnitude cannot be handled without Governments taking the lead. We need to look at economically viable solutions to introduce change and Dr. Bhandari mentioned some of these ideas to a packed conference hall. Dr. Bhandari also asked URJA to take steps in communicating to the Govt. Authorities the urgency of action required The meeting was Chaired by Prof. Shreekant Gupta, who is a well known Environmental Economist and a member of the Nobel Prize winning IPCC. We are very thankful to Professor Gupta for taking time out to take charge of the proceedings. Dr. Sunita Narain, Padma Shri, environmentalist and Member EPCA was the chief guest. Dr. Narain shared the latest developments in the government as well as asked the community to get more proactive in bringing about change. Her words carry weight and we at URJA are honoured by her presence at our conference. Ms. Anumita Roy Choudhary, a constant friend and guide to URJA on matters related to environment was also present. It is our belief that faith leaders will play a very important role in guiding communities and on URJA s invitation Maulana Mahmoud Madani, who served as Secretary General Jamiat Ulema-e -Hind joined us. Also present were Fr. Stanley Kozhichira, & Fr. Savari Raj from the Archdiocese of Delhi as well as Sd. Kulmohan Singh from the Delhi Gurudwara Management Committee The participants at the round table included members from TERI, Greenpeace, DDC, Youth Organisation Haiyya, CEED, Praja Foundation, Greenworks consulting and AQI monitoring group India Open Data Association and United Residents Joint Action (URJA) Dr Narain and Professor Gupta requested URJA to use their influence with the Elected Representatives, Government Agencies and RWAs to implement progressive policies in the spirit of cooperation and urgency. We Thank the India International Centre for so graciously hosting us.

7 February 2017, Issue 2 Smarter Neighbourhoods for a Smart Delhi NCR Page 7 Issues in Badarpur area Mr KK Singh Mr K K Singh, URJA Coordinator The area is in the developing stage and still struggling for basic amenities. Due to negligence of the administration the situation is going from bad to worse. Approx Six Lac people live in Mithapur, Jaitpur & Badarpur area. Majority of them are from lower income group working in unorganized private sector. The area is suitable and convenient for people working in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida and Delhi. As a result, persons working in the private companies in Delhi NCR, prefer to live here. The area is in the developing stage and still struggling for basic amenities. Due to negligence of the administration the situation is going from bad to worse. Road: There is no appropriate road for the large number of population dwelling in the area. As a result traffic jam has become a very common site. At places there are bottlenecks at some point on the local road which lead to congestion on the road. There is no parking for buses, autos anywhere in the area. With the growing population roads needs to be widened. But residents are left unheard and unseen. Metro: RWAs has been requesting for metro facility. But despite the huge population, DMRC is not paying attention to the genuine demand of the resident. This again shows negligence of the administration. Metro facility not only will solve road traffic problem but also would be helpful in reducing pollution level. DMRC need to assess the feasibility of the metro facility and provide the same. Drain: There is no proper drainage system in the area. During the rain, it is difficult for any new person to know where is drain and where is road. This is very dangerous. Whatever drains are there, they are throughout the area choked. It needs to be cleaned at least before the rainy season. Outbreak of disease Dengue has become a part of rainy season in Delhi. India is moving towards a developed nation. But in the capital city break out of diseases like dengue, chikengunia takes place every year. The area is neglected all along. No precautionary measure is taken in the area. Power: As the area is having dense population. People need light even during the day time in their houses. But due to frequent power-cut throughout the year, that also for long duration, makes the situation miserable. In the name of maintenance, people of this area are being harassed / neglected. They are not given power supply for what they pay. Sewage System So far there is no sewage system in the area. The basic need of sewage system has not yet been fulfilled. College: There is no college in and around the area. Nearest college is located about 10 KM away. As a result some students especially girls are not able to attend regular college. When the world is talking of technology, 4G, wifi, there is no college in the area. Library There is no library in the area where people can go and study. Hospital: With the level of pollution increasing day by day in Delhi, there is always chance of falling ill. But the area has not got a good hospital. This is irony that people living in the capital of India, do not have hospital facility nearby. Community Centre There is no community in the area where a public function can be arranged in proper way. People have to do small parties on the road. Park: People can not go for morning walk or enjoy the sun during the winter. There is no open space where residents can get fresh air. Market Place In the name of market there is hardly any organized place. At places people park their vehicle on the road for shopping. Some people prefer to go on foot as there is no space for parking in the market. Police Station Police station is located at the extreme end of the area. It is difficult to reach police station except for own conveyance. The police should be located at an approachable place. Wrong categorization of our colony in Zone O The area has been wrongly put in O zone despite the fact that Mithapur is located at a distance of more than 5 KM from Yamuna River. But no authority is ready to correct this mistake leaving the residents to suffer.

8 Page 8 Action and Inaction URJA and Government Matters URJA Registered Office 14 A /23 W.E.A Karol Bagh New Delhi CEO Office A 194 Defence Colony New Delhi Phone: mail@urjadelhi.org We are on the web: www@urjadelhi.org Government Actions and Inactions MCD Ward Delimitation Announced By Delhi State Election Commission. LG Announces Review of Need Based Car Parking Plan for Delhi The Delhi Government will set up mohalla clinics on the premises of 300 government schools. Lieutenant governor Anil Baijal has given approval to the project with riders linked to safety and security. All copyrights for this newsletter belong strictly to United Residents Joint Action, of Delhi (URJA) Second Meeting with the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP). And the three Municipal corporations URJA, the India International URJA Updates URJA RWA Awards 2016 Any views and statements contained in this newsletter are personal views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of URJA, its Management or Editorial Teams. URJA launched its new Initiative on Stray Dogs on 31 Jan 17. It will start the campaign in 3 identified RWAs in each of the 3 Municipal Corporations SDMC, NDMC and EDMC as a pilot. The aim is to ensure that 100% of the identified stray dogs in the identified areas are humanely sterlised and vaccinated against Rabies. After completing this ambitious task in the 3 pilot RWAs it will be expanded to interested RWAs in Delhi. are now closed for applications. The process of collation and processing has begun. A big thank you to all the applicants for your submissions. Centre (IIC) and The Indicus foundation organized a Round Table & Presentation on Delhi s Air Pollution issues on 3 Feb See full report elsewhere in this issue Represented URJA in Meeting on Skill Development For Domestic Staff. URJA Executive Committee working with legal experts to finalise a draft of Common RWA constitution Important!!!The Municipal elections are near and should take place in March-April All RWA and all citizens must actively participate. The municipal councilors may not draw much weight in the media and TV but they are very significant in how local area politics, and Municipal services are managed. They play an important role in construction, waste management, parks and stray dog sterilization as well as internal roads of the colony. URJA Team is working actively with legal experts to finalise a draft of Common RWA constitution to serve as a model constitution for all RWA. invites brief stories about your RWA news and brief topical interest articles about Delhi NCR and its issues. Get published and share your thoughts, success stories, challenges faced and RWA news with thousands of citizens, members of RWAs, prominent NGOs, Activists, Politicians, and Delhi Bureaucrats. Please also send your own photographs showing life in Delhi. The best photographs sent will be published at the editor s discretion. your stories or images to: mail@urjadelhi.org with author s photograph and a brief one sentence author introduction. Delhi Photo Story Where are the parks for children to play in Delhi?