Yearon, Wastetowonderpark rakesinbigbucksforcivicbody SARAI KALE KHAN
Since Feb 21, the park has seen a footfall of 1.55 million, SDMC has earned ₹8 crore revenue
nNEW DELHI: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s (SDMC) flagship project Waste to Wonder Park in Sarai Kale Khan, which was inaugurated a year ago on February 21, has become one of the most favourite tourist destinations of the national capital. Since opening, it has received a footfall of 1.55 million, and in less than one year of operations, the SDMC has managed to recover its construction cost by realising a revenue of around ₹8 crore.
The SDMC has decided to celebrate the first anniversary of the Waste to Wonder Park on February 21 this year. The celebration will continue for three days and is likely to witness a light and sound show as well as cultural programmes.
“We have planned the first anniversary celebration. It is likely to be finalised in a few days. The celebration will be kickstarted with a speech by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on February 21,” an SDMC official said.
Officials said that till February 13, nearly 1.55 million people had visited the park since its opening. They said that this number was comparable with popular hangout spots like the Delhi Zoo, which gets an average annual footfall of nearly 2.2 million, and was a great feat. In 2018-19, the annual footfall of the Delhi Zoo was 2.2 million, while the previous year it recorded an attendance of 2.5 million.
“On February 22, musical performances and comedy shows will be organised. On February 23 (Sunday), apart from musical and rock band performances, we are also planning to host a magic show, puppet show, dance competition and standup comedy shows to mark the end of the first anniversary celebration,” the SDMC official said.
The park was inaugurated by then Union home minister Rajnath
Singh, and was built at a cost of ₹7.5 crore.
Spread across seven acres, the park showcases grand replicas of the Taj Mahal (20 ft), Eiffel Tower (60 ft), Statue of Liberty (30 ft), Great Pyramid of Giza (18 ft), Leaning Tower of Pisa (25 ft), Christ the Redeemer (25 ft), and Rome’s Colosseum (15 ft)—all made of scrap material. These replicas of the wonders of the world were built using 150 tonnes of industrial and other waste material, including used cycle chains, car steering wheels, bearings, and metal pipes.
The park was built in 180 days and over a 100 people, welders, and helpers, as well as five artists — Rakesh Rana, Anuj Poddar, Pijush Kanti Patra, Sandip Pisalkar and Prem Kumar Vaishya — from the College of Fine Arts, University of Baroda, were engaged in completing it.
The popularity of the park is such that within four months of its opening, the south civic body collected a revenue of over ₹2 crore. To earn more from the popularity of the park, in June, the SDMC increased the entry fee from ₹50 to ₹100 on Sundays. Despite that, nearly 11,000 people visited the park on June 30, the weekend after the price hike.
In June, the corporation announced it would increase its parking capacity to accommodate at least 300 cars. This was done keeping in mind the spillover to the busy Ring Road and Sarai Kale Khan flyover.
Ashok Bhattacharjee, an urban planner and former director of Unified Traffic and Transport Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC), said the park is a “good concept” aimed at reusing the scrap material
“Such initiatives not only reuse metal waste and improve the beauty of the city but also make people aware about the recycling of scrap material,” he said.