While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government has claimed that it has kept its promise of getting Delhiites rid of the irksome BRT corridor, the fact is that the Government is likely to miss the February 5 deadline it had set for dismantling of the stretch from Khanpur to Birla Vidya Niketan.
Not just that, recces of the area by The Pioneer on February 2, 3 and 4 revealed that the slow pace of work has created a serious safety hazard on the stretch. Remnants of kerb stones are scattered on the road and ends of iron rods and metal panels that were used to hold down the kerb stones are protruding like spikes, endangering vehicles, particularly two-wheelers.
“The protruding iron rods are creating problems while driving. We have to be very careful as they can puncture tyres. Also, if a driver shifts to another lane suddenly to avoid these rods it can lead to accidents. The Government needs to finish the dismantling of the BRT quickly. Also, it should try to complete the process at one spot before moving on to the next so as to avoid creating safety hazards,” said Rajiv, who crosses the BRT near Pushp Vihar daily.
Mushtaq, a fruit vendor at Pushp Vihar, said that there were frequent cases of tyres getting punctured or two wheelers losing balance due to the protruding iron rods.
“If this is not rectified immediately, it is only a matter of time before a serious mishap occurs,” he said.
Dismantling of the 6.2 km-long corridor from Ambedkar Nagar to lajpat Nagar Metro Station is scheduled to be completed by March 22, and the Government has set different deadlines for different parts of the corridor.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had announced last month that the stretch from Khanpur to Birla Vidya Niketan would be finished by February 5, while the stretch from Birla Vidya Niketan to Sheikh Sarai is supposed to be completed by February 20, but the situation on the ground tells a different story with bus shelters still standing tall and kerb stones still in their place at most of the stretch.
The dismantling work is supposed to involve removal of existing kerb stones, dismantling and shifting of existing bus shelters from the BRT, demolition of cement platforms of the bus shelters, disposal of debris, manufacture, placement and painting of jersey barriers on the central verge.
Except for the cordoning off of bus shelters at Pushp Vihar on February 4, The Pioneer did not find much of a difference. It remains to be seen if the Government can finish off the rest of the work in a single night to meet the February 5 deadline.
Mushtaq thinks it is unlikely that the BRT stretch between Khanpur and Birla Vidya Niketan will be dismantled by Friday. “Not much work has been done in the last two-three weeks. While I do not know the status on the other side, the pace is very slow on this part of the stretch. If it continues at this pace, the Government will have no option but to extend the deadline,” he said.
Dev Raj, who runs an automobile spare parts store near Khanpur, agreed with Mushtaq.
“Only the kerb stones have been removed here; and those too on one side of the road. Apart from that, there has been no visible difference,” he said.
Dev Raj added that the situation has become worse since the dismantling work started as the roads have not been cleaned for the last couple of weeks. “Earlier, BRT people used to come and clean the roads, as well as the footpaths in front of our shops. But ever since the dismantling work started, we have to clean the footpaths ourselves,” he said.