India, July 31 -- Despite having the highest number of parks, Pune's zone 1 has the least green cover in terms of area whereas zone 3 - home to fewer but larger parks - has maximum open space in the city. These are the findings of the Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC's) latest Environmental Status Report (ESR) 2024-25.

As per the ESR 2024-25, zone 1 - which includes densely populated areas such as Yerawada, Vishrantwadi, Vadgaon Sheri, Dhole Patil Road, Nagar Road and Kharadi - has a total of 52 parks. However, the combined area of these parks adds up to just 3,223.12 square metres, averaging about 62 square metres per park which is barely enough for public recreation.

Zone 1 residents have repeatedly raised concerns about this scenari...