{"id":72320,"date":"2026-05-15T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/?post_type=article&#038;p=72320"},"modified":"2026-05-15T11:07:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T05:37:40","slug":"locked-out-why-children-from-delhis-bastis-cannot-access-playgrounds","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/idronline.org\/kn-in\/article\/urban\/locked-out-why-children-from-delhis-bastis-cannot-access-playgrounds\/","title":{"rendered":"Locked out: Why children from Delhi\u2019s bastis cannot access playgrounds"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Locked out: Why children from Delhi&rsquo;s bastis cannot access playgrounds\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Rv_xaSUcWks?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>Delhi has approximately <a href=\"https:\/\/dpgs.delhi.gov.in\/dpgs\/about-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">18,000 parks and gardens<\/a>, 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.<\/p><p>The impact is significant. A 2017 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.actionaidindia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Public-Park-Survey-Report_pdf.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">survey<\/a> 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.<\/p><p>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.<\/p><div class=\"idron-article-in-content\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\" id=\"idron-236625327\"><a href=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/what-is-idr-answers\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"What is IDR Answers Page Banner\"><img src=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1.png\" alt=\"What is IDR Answers Page Banner\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1.png 1250w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1-300x60.png 300w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1-1024x205.png 1024w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1-150x30.png 150w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/What-is-IDR-Answers-Page-Banner-1-768x154.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px\" width=\"1250\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div><p>At the same time, Delhi&rsquo;s open spaces are shrinking. By 2030, the city&rsquo;s built-up area is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/24749508.2022.2132010%23abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">projected<\/a> 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.<\/p><p>Play is essential for child development, health, and well-being. When class and geography restrict access, inequalities deepen.<\/p><p>For this video, we spoke to children from Delhi&rsquo;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?<\/p><p>&mdash;<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-know-more\">Know more<\/h3><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Read <a href=\"https:\/\/cities4children.org\/blog\/four-examples-of-supporting-childrens-play-in-low-income-urban-neighbourhoods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">about<\/a> innovative play interventions in low-income neighborhoods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learn <a href=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/article\/advocacy-government\/towards-child-responsive-local-governance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">how<\/a> Karnataka&rsquo;s makkala grama sabhas enable children to participate in local governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"idron-troublemakers-placement\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\" id=\"idron-473703961\"><a href=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/donate\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"donate banner\"><img src=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1.jpg\" alt=\"donate banner\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-300x60.jpg 300w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-1024x205.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-150x30.jpg 150w, https:\/\/idronline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Donate-banner-1-768x154.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px\" width=\"1250\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":72322,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[28,582,32],"tags":[3597,3666,3727],"series":[],"meta-filter":[],"schema-filter":[743],"no-display":[],"class_list":["post-72320","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy-government","category-instagram","category-urban","tag-child-rights","tag-marginalised-communities","tag-urban-planning","contributor-anandhakrishnan-s","contributor-shriya-roy","states-delhi","schema-filter-article"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Locked out: Why children from Delhi\u2019s bastis cannot access playgrounds | IDR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Delhi has thousands of parks, but children from informal settlements face locked gates, privatisation, and exclusion. 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