A day after The Pioneer did a story on the Mehrauli-Badarpur road, Delhi Government seems to have taken a note of the issue. The Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Satyender Jain along with MlA Prakash Jarwal did a surpise inspection of the roads and drains of the area on Wednesday.
“The Minister along with many officials, including the PWD principal Secretary Ashwini Kumar, visited the area and the latter has ensured that the work of the drain is almost complete,” said a Government official.
The officials of the PWD blamed the mess to the “clash between multiple agencies”.
“The stretch at the Mehrauli-Badarpur road is not sudden. It is facing problem from couple of months because the PWD had been implanting a pipe to strengthen the drainage system. It took time because when the stretch was dug, the department found utilities of other agencies specifically the MTNl and during the process its wires were damaged. The work stopped as MTNl filed an FIR,” a PWD official, requesting anonymity told The Pioneer.
He said the Minister was briefed and explained these complexities and also assured about the completion of the work by the PWD.
The commuters also spoke to the Minister and complained about the difficulties of traffic snarls as well as water-logging surrounding the busy stretch.
The official said while multiple agencies dig roads, it is the PWD which faces music from all ends. “There is a clash of agencies. The PWD had taken the work to put a drain for proper drainage system to give support in the rains. While we can assure that the work is done. I am afraid there is another issue of sewer system from the Sangam Vihar area which is a choco-block every rainy season. There is no capacity in it. The sewage is taken care by the Delhi Jal Board thus PWD cannot be blamed for it,” added the official.
The official said while people complain that why digging is on and on, they must know that it is not just because of one agencies. “The BSES has also dug the same stretch so while PWD is ready to wind up the work, the smoothening of the road would also depend on other agencies.”
The Pioneer had reported on Tuesday about the bad condition of the Sangam Vihar stretch and spoken to the daily commuters about the apathy of the area.
The Mehrauli-Badarpur Road known for perennial traffic snarls is in bad shape especially near Batra Hospital with the two kilometer stretch starting from RPS colony to Vayusenabad having big potholes, said the report “SANGAM OF PWD FAIlURE, GOVT APAT”.
“Rains have made situation worse here. local residents say it is a living nightmare. On an average it takes two to two and half hours to pass this small stretch. While pedestrians have taken the shape of illegal parking space for the trucks, adding more pain to locals, loose electrical wiring and sewerage work of respective agencies have turned the entire stretch into a veritable hell for the people of Sangam Vihar Assembly seat.”