The Lodhi Garden situated in New Delhi is set to develop a new red gravel track for running. Under a ₹1.3 crore project, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) invited bids to develop the pathway along with a water sprinkler system. The bidding was announced on August 14 and will be completed by August 30, and contractors will be given three months to finish the project.
This track will be located near Gate Number 5 on the north side of Lodhi Garden, which contains beautiful Mughal architecture. Gate Number 5 also has the original name of the park — Lady Willingdon Park. The new track is inspired by the jogging track developed at Fort Sports Complex and will feature a gravel surface equipped with a sprinkler system to control dust.
According to officials, the NDMC announced in May that the track will be around 200 m long. The officials also said that the choice of gravel surface instead of a synthetic track was made due to its low maintenance and safe running experience. This new track will be part of a broader initiative to enhance infrastructure for walkers and runners across the Lutyens’ Delhi region.
Synthetic Tracks in Delhi Parks
NDMC introduced its first synthetic jogging track in Nehru Park in 2020 as a pilot project. This year, the NDMC is initiating the process of setting up another synthetic jogging track at Sanjay Park near Lakshmibai Nagar, placed around a water body, at an estimated cost of ₹1.6 crore.
Lodhi Garden is a huge area spanning over 80 acres with more than 5,400 trees and 210 species. The garden is located between Lodhi Road, Amrita Sher-Gil Marg and Max Mueller Marg, and is home to very important monuments of Delhi, including the tomb of Mohammad Shah, Bara Gumbad, Shish Gumbad, and the tomb of Sikandar Lodi.
The monumental green patch was converted into a park in colonial times and was inaugurated by Lady Willingdon on April 9, 1936. It was further beautified in 1968 by noted architect J.A. Stein. Over the decades, the park has seen the introduction of a 300 m-long lake, fountains, glasshouses and a bonsai park.