MUMBAI, April 19 -- The civic administration has decided that new public gardens must include provisions for security. "Henceforth, all contractors developing new gardens will have to provide round-the-clock security for two years as part of their defect liability period (DLP)," said Hetal Gala, chairperson of the market and garden committee, which oversees decisions on the gardens of Mumbai. The decision was taken at the BMC's markets and garden committee meeting on Friday. "We felt the need to take steps to prevent gardens from being misused by miscreants and anti-social elements, particularly drug addicts and alcoholics, during late-evening hours," she said. The BMC is also working on a plan to improve security in existing gardens but it will take a while to implement it. Gala has written to the police commissioner, requesting increased police patrolling around gardens, parks and playgrounds in the evening and at night in "the interest of public safety and to reinforce a sense of security among citizens". In her letter, she said, "ensuring the safety and well-being of citizens, particularly women, senior citizens and children" is of utmost importance. A pilot project is being planned where CCTVs will be installed at a few specific gardens with the digital feed being accessible at the local police stations and civic ward offices, Gala said. This pilot project is meant to check if such a system can be replicated across the city. Many local representatives, like Borivali legislator Sanjay Upadhyay, have demanded that well-paid security guards be deployed in gardens instead of poorly paid caretakers. "Nuisance in gardens caused by anti-social elements is true for most gardens, affecting almost 50 of the 58 gardens in my area," said Upadhyay. "Youngsters often enter the gardens late at night, jumping over gates or fences, even after they are closed, and indulge in drinking, smoking or even drugs. Not surprisingly, this has started discouraging women from exploring these public spaces particularly late in the evening." Upadhyay said the real problem is that most gardens are often overseen by a lone caretaker, who is often not even a security guard. This is not a deterrent as they are not equipped to deal with anti-social elements. Citizens like Virendra Singh, a resident of the 1,000-flat Vasant Marvel housing complex, which overlooks a public garden at Borivali east, said the garden ends up as a source of nuisance. "Youngsters visiting the park engage in indecent behaviour, making it awkward for many to even look out of our balconies," says Singh. Mumbai has 325 parks, 480 recreational grounds and 369 playgrounds, according to the BMC's Environmental Status Report 2024-25. The BMC provides recreational amenities to citizens by maintaining gardens, playgrounds, recreational centres, water fountains, etc as part of its discretionary duty under Section 63 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888....