Women find a corner to call their own in city’s Mahila Parks

In a city starved of safe public spaces for women, Delhi’s Mahila (women’s) Parks remain rare pockets of comfort, despite many being in “bad condition”.

For 41-year-old Vidya Devi, who works as a domestic help and travels daily from Khajoori Khas in north-east Delhi, Daryaganj’s Hindi Park has been a daily stop for four years. She meets friends here after 3 p.m. “This garden is like my home. We have our lunch here, talk, relax a bit and then leave around 5,” she said. For Ms. Vidya’s friend, Durga Devi, the daily visit offers companionship. “My house is cramped. I never skip a day,” she said.

According to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) data, there are 23 women-only parks across 18 municipal wards in the Capital. Several are not standalone parks, but sections demarcated for women within larger public parks. 
The civic body plans to allocate ₹2 crore in the coming financial year for these parks. Leader of the House Parvesh Wahi said ₹5 lakh will be earmarked for the maintenance of each Mahila park. “The existing parks are in bad condition. We have allocated funds to fix daily upkeep and repair works,” he said. In areas with larger parks and higher footfall by women, sections can be exclusively marked, Mr. Wahi said.

“This cannot happen everywhere, but we can take the initiative in wards with bigger parks. With support from the department and the public, we can mark 100 to 150 parks as women-only,” he said. 

Promises unfulfilled

In 2023, the Aam Aadmi Party-led MCD proposed identifying “pink parks” in all 250 wards, promising toilets, CCTV cameras and gym facilities. That proposal remains largely unfulfilled.

Inside the Daryaganj park, the lone women’s washroom is locked. Ms. Vidya said gym equipment was removed after it broke down. “This is just one garden in the area that is free and only for women. There aren’t any parks where I live, let alone one just for women,” she said. The horticulture department oversees around 1,500 parks citywide, but faces a severe manpower crunch as over one-third of caretaker posts remain vacant. Officials say this has directly affected maintenance.

Public outreach

Mr. Wahi pointed to public participation as one solution. “If NGOs or RWAs manage a park, we pay them ₹13,500 per month while the Delhi government gives ₹16,000. We want better upkeep through public partnership,” he said.

A 10-minute walk away lies Purdah Bagh, one of the old women’s parks from the colonial era, spread across five acres in narrow by-lanes. In the morning, women fill its walking tracks. Some exercise while others sit in groups. Sofia, 31, a regular visitor, said the park offers relief. “Women who observe purdah feel comfortable removing their burqas here. One feels safe without scrutiny,” she said. Another such park near Jama Masjid remains shut. “Even though boys above 10 are not allowed, men come in. We ask caretakers to tell them to leave, but they can only request,” Ms. Sofia said.

‘Where should we go?’

Vimlesh Chaudhary, 53, has looked after the park for 26 years. “We have not had a guard for 10 years. Only six caretakers and I manage this big park,” she said. The boundary wall at the rear has been damaged for three years. “Men enter from there and sometimes drink at night. We have written to authorities many times and even called the police,” she said.

In Zaffrabad, Shahdara, a small park designated for women shows a similar pattern. Zaini, in her late 30s, visited with her husband and child. “There aren’t any other parks nearby. If families want to go out together, where should we go?” she said.