NEW DELHI: In the next three years , Delhi may get its own Central Park rivalling that of New York as work on the National Thermal Power Corporation’s ( NTPC ) Badarpur eco-park is underway . The 884-acre park will be one of India’s largest manmade parks with open-jeep safari , public recreation areas , lakes and open gyms , among other attractions.The site of the project is the fly-ash disposal area of the erstwhile Badarpur Thermal Power Plant (BTPS) that was shut down last year. NTPC officials said the area has already been levelled and greening activities are going to begin soon. The deadline for the project is 2022.“This will be the first-of-its-kind eco park with an area larger than New York’s Central Park, which is spread over 842 acres. The park will have vast green cover and reservoirs or lakes. In addition, there will be yoga centres, jogging areas and bicycle tracks. This project is in line with NTPC’s commitment towards balancing the ecology and protecting the environment,” said an NTPC official.NTPC said open-jeep safaris will be provided to visitors at the park consisting of different herbivore sections. “We will follow the safari models from abroad. Animals will be added to the eco park so that visitors can view them in their habitat,” said the official.In addition, the park will have an observatory mound and sitting zones opposite the lakes where people would be able to observe fountains. Open gyms and sports zones have also been planned there. “There will be ample sitting spaces and green wooden shelters around the tracks. We will also have eco-friendly plazas to provide a wholesome experience,” the official said.An estimate by NTPC shows that the park will be able to sink 4,320 million tonnes of CO2 per annum, providing fresh air to the area. The park will also incorporate phyto-remediation for cleaning soil, air and water through the use of living plants. A compost plant will be built for manure. The installation of smart systems will be done to supply power for its energy requirements. “This will help protect and enhance the ecological system and provide a natural habitat to flora and fauna,” the official said.BTPS was established in 1965 by Central Electricity Authority and handed over to NTPC in 1978 for improving its operations. In May 2017, lieutenant governor Anil Baijal had stated that the ash disposal area needed to be landscaped and maintained as a green area, possibly as an eco park.A source said the issue was discussed in a meeting with the Prime Minister’s principal secretary in February 2018. It was decided that the ministry of power would ensure setting up of a state-of-the-art park after the closure of the plant. According to the minutes of the meeting held in May 2018, the ministry directed NTPC to develop an eco park and hand it over the appropriate agency in consultation with ministry of housing and urban affairs.The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority had identified BTPS as one of the biggest contributors to air pollution in Delhi and demanded its closure. The plant was finally shut down last summer. With its closure, all plants in the NCR that supply power to Delhi are now gas-based.