Walking along Delhi's third-rate lanes and first-class neighbourhoods

  • Nov. 30, 2022, 11:54 a.m.

The roads of the national capital are known for being wide, but a safe walk on these roads, be they arterial or ones inside residential colonies, is still a distant dream for pedestrians. With the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections ahead, The Indian Express took a walk through some of the upscale colonies of the city and found that most roads under the MCD colonies do not have proper pavement or a safe footpath.

At six colonies in south Delhi—GGreater Kailash-II, East of Kailash, RK Puram, Green Park Extension, Kalkaji, and Chittaranjan Park—most roads were dilapidated, unpaved, and riddled with potholes. The ability to walk safely through these roads was the biggest grievance, especially for senior citizens and children.

D-Block in East Kailash, which houses about 4,000 houses, hardly had any space for pedestrians. Pavements were either encroached on by vendors and illegal parking or were broken and teeming with broken bricks, dust, open manholes, and non-functioning stormwater drains.

"Poor roads, potholes, and waterlogging are major problems the residents face." The complaints have fallen on deaf ears. Due to poorly maintained stormwater drains, roads get waterlogged and soggy with mud, resulting in potholes. "Besides, a lack of pavement poses challenges for residents, especially senior citizens," said Karan Aggarwal, general secretary, RWA.

Roads at GK-II and Green Park Extension were encroached on by cars and old vehicles. At some junctions, roads were dug up after sewerage and underwire work.

"A portion of the road was cordoned off by a telecom company as wires lay haphazardly. Similar is the situation with the Delhi Jal Board projects. When the RWAs raise this matter with the municipal body, the blame game begins. There is no synergy between the departments of the MCD. There are 30 departments, and they will make you run from pillar to post. "Online services are just a sham," said Nakul Sharan, former president of Green Park Extension, H Block.

Residents at CR Park and Greater Kailash-II too seemed equally peeved. Besides the condition of colony roads, they complained about waterlogging during the monsoon, improper parking, and poorly maintained stormwater drains.

"We don’t care which party comes to the MCD; our grievances surround basic civic amenities." We pay huge amounts as house tax expecting better roads and sewer lines, but the MCD says they don’t have funds. "People are left in the lurch, caught between AAP and the BJP’s politics," said Manish Kumar, a resident of CR Park.

In RK Puram’s Sector-1, a similar issue persists. Although the area is a well-developed government residential colony, the roads are in poor shape. A resident said, "I am a differently abled person and rely on a wheelchair." The roads inside the colony are uneven, and when we complain, they just do patchwork. "Disabled-friendly walkways and roads in colonies are no politician’s concern."

Residents also complained about collecting water in open manholes and ditches, which provided a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

About 15,500 km of inner roads with a width of 60 feet or less come under the MCD. According to officials, the corporation requires approximately Rs 150 crore to repair all roads maintained by the civic body. However, due to the ongoing politics between the BJP and AAP over funding, several projects are on hold, said an MCD official.

He added, "The erstwhile North and South MCDs earmarked budgets to repair about 200 km of MCD roads, but after the merging of the MCD, projects were delayed." MCD has set a target to develop about 75 km of roads by March 2023 and the remaining 125 km by June 2023.

Author : Rajdhani Delhi Representative

Rajdhani delhi representative

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