Delhi has approximately 18,000 parks and gardens, but access remains highly unequal. Children from bastis and informal settlements face several barriers. Resident welfare associations (RWAs) often restrict entry to parks. Government school grounds stay locked even when empty. Private play facilities also charge money that many families cannot afford to pay.
The impact is significant. A 2017 survey on public parks in Delhi found that most lacked toilets and drinking water facilities, and many had no security guards. Less than half had recreational facilities for children. Many existing facilities were damaged or rusty, posing safety risks.
Beyond infrastructure deficits, systemic exclusion compounds the problem. RWAs often control access to parks in their areas, even when these parks are built on municipal land meant for public use. Children from nearby bastis get turned away by RWA-appointed guards and are denied access to open spaces in their own neighbourhoods.
At the same time, Delhi’s open spaces are shrinking. By 2030, the city’s built-up area is projected to reach 60 percent of total land, up from 30 percent in 2014, while open land will reduce to just 0.15 percent. Sports complexes offer an alternative, but most charge a fee that families cannot pay. Free public parks remain the only option, yet access continues to diminish.
Play is essential for child development, health, and well-being. When class and geography restrict access, inequalities deepen.
For this video, we spoke to children from Delhi’s bastis about where they play and the barriers they face, a nonprofit creating safe play spaces, and an urban planner explaining policy gaps. As public spaces shrink and privatisation grows, an urgent question remains unanswered: Who gets to play?
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Know more
- Read about innovative play interventions in low-income neighborhoods.
- Learn how Karnataka’s makkala grama sabhas enable children to participate in local governance.
