Mehrauli-Badarpur Road known for perennial traffic snarls is in bad shape especially near Batra Hospital. Two kilometer stretch starting from RPS colony to Vayusenabad has big potholes and 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 stretch has 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.
Pre-monsoon showers, sewer line work and absence of traffic police at Sangam Vihar stretch not only tests the patience of the commuters, it’s also a bad advertisement for the Southern part of the national Capital.
The Pioneer on Monday visited the site and noticed abject failure of the Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Government owned roads, apathy of civic agencies and Delhi Traffic Police.
This particular stretch connects Faridabad to Delhi and everyday thousands of commuters use the road to reach their destinations. Those driving on this road have horrid tales of long traffic jams with no support from the Delhi Traffic Police. Besides, the poor condition of the road, mud-piles in between the road, slow paced work of sewerage cleaning take adds to the miseries of the people.
Ramesh Biduri, BJP’s lok Sabha member from South Delhi Parliamentary seat said, he has already written several letters to Arvind Kejriwal Government. “I can understand the situation of commuters since I’m also the resident of Tuglukabad and use this stretch. I am requesting the AAP Government to notify this stretch under MCD. We will construct a good road and will set an example for this Government.”
Nidhi Mittal, a business woman who often uses this road to reach to her office said, “Driving on this stretch is a daily nightmare for me and others. I live in Sainik Farm and take this road to reach my office at Faridabad. Distance between Faridabad to Sainik Farm is barely 8-10 Kilometre, but it takes more than two hours. From past two months, our journey is consuming double time owing to big potholes, terrible conditions of roads and water logging problem,” she added further.
“Despite being the site of major Defence institutions, there is no footpath on either side of the road,” she said. “It is the busiest road but, unfortunately, there is no visibility of traffic police on the entire stretch,” Mittal reacted.
Shayam lal, a shopkeeper near RPS colony said that he has not witnessed any Government agency repairing this road. “People are living in the vicinity of garbage piles and water logged areas. In every monsoon season, many people diagnosed with dengue and malaria,” he said.
An auto driver near Tuglukabad Air Force Station said that the adverse impact of digging is on their bread and butter. “We have stopped hiring passengers of this route as it takes many hours to reach to their destinations. My auto needs more service when I drive on this route and in peak monsoon, the situation becomes even worse when Sangam Vihar area turns into a virtual canal,” said auto driver.
When asked about the terrible traffic situation of this particular stretch, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Garima Bhatnagar, she refused to comment on the issue. “I have to look in to the matter..,” Bhatnagar said.
It is important to mention here that Sangam Vihar is hosting two major hospitals on the above said stretch; Batra and Majeedia hospitals. However, during the line of emergency, the stagnate water and unmoving traffic is an obstacle that can put the life of patient in risk.