New Delhi : The people of Delhi are going to decide the fate of 100-acre Bhalswa golf course which has been has been put to public vote.
DDA, which developed the course 11 years ago near Mukundpur alongside Bhalswa Lake, is now reaching out to the people through public notices seeking their suggestions on the utility of the sprawling green space. They will continue this exercise till June 28.
Among suggestions received about the course, DDA has been considering that of converting it into a public park or a resort, the latter being one of the earliest proposals for the area along with the golf course plan.
The idea was to clean up Bhalswa Lake, landscape the area and develop a resort around the place. Located far from the main city, it was thought to be the perfect getaway.
However, then LG Tejendra Khanna threw his weight behind the golf course proposal. A three-hole golf course was developed here in January 2003. It was later expanded into a nine-hole one.
The leadership had then been planning to upgrade it to an 18-hole professional turf. The current DDA management, however, is said have a different opinion.
"The previous bosses were dedicated patrons of green spaces, especially golf courses where they spent their own leisure hours. But, after listening to complaints made by locals against the course, the current bosses have started to think differently," said a senior DDA official.
The official added that footfall here has been dropping steadily. Locals see it as a big waste of public money.
They resent the fact that they have no access to the place and have expressed the wish of using it as a public park for morning walks. There are also complaints about the water being pumped into the area for maintenance with surrounding localities facing perennial scarcity.
The course is surrounded by Burari, Bhalswa village and Azadpur which don't produce many golfers.
"The area is too far for golfers living in south Delhi. People from Rohini and Sonipat mostly come here. They are too few and their numbers aren't a good enough excuse to keep the golf course running," the official said.
