Cycling tracks and pathways in parks in the Ridge area and along Yamuna will now have jute carpeting. The move is set to be implemented by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) following directions from Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. Beyond dust mitigation and soil preservation, the initiative aims to support jute farmers and the jute industry by spurring the demand for the material. "It may be noted that the L-G had forbidden concretisation in the parks on the Yamuna floodplains, but this in turn had led to the tracks inside the parks generating a lot of dust whenever walkers or cyclists used them. Apart from causing inconvenience to the users, this was also adding to the environmental dust," the DDA underlined in a statement. It was then that the L-G, who has previously served as the Chairperson of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and has experience with jute products, proposed the use of jute carpeting as an alternative. According to a statement from the DDA, the initiative began with the use of loosely knitted jute carpeting at Asita Park, located across the Yamuna opposite ITO. Saxena on Sunday visited Asita Park to inspect the ongoing jute carpeting work. The DDA noted that the initial results at the park have shown a reduction in dust levels. Encouraged by the results, the L-G has instructed DDA to extend the use of jute carpeting to walking and cycling tracks inside the Northern Ridge area, restoration of which was undertaken by DDA after Saxena visited the location earlier this month. "It came to be observed that this extremely cheap and cost-effective measure also resulted in grass growing on the earth beneath the carpeting and sprouting through the gaps. This, in turn, ensured that the carpeting got strongly fixed to the ground," it added.
