Divided by apathy and missed targets
8YEAR WAIT Work on railway overbridge and underpass to connect Sultanpuri with rest of Delhi is progressing slowly, forcing locals to cross tracks every day
NEWDELHI: For residents in outer Delhi’s Sultanpuri, the feeling of living in a patch of land cut off from the rest of the city isn’t new. Poor connectivity is a problem that has been plaguing the area for decades. But in the past eight years, an under-construction project has turned commuting into a “fatal challenge”.
An eight-year wait for a rail overbridge and an underpass in Sultanpuri has given residents nothing, but it forces them to risk their lives every day. Residents say construction work and the lack of safe alternatives force them to cross an unmanned railway crossing every day.
In 2010, construction began on a railway overbridge and an underpass to provide residents of Sultanpuri, Friends Enclave, Raj Park, Prem Nagar and other neighbouring areas a safe and unhindered access to the rest of Delhi. However, the progress has been staggered, and as a result only 40% of the work is over . The construction work has become a ‘neverending tale’, say frustrated residents.
Delay in removing encroachment, shifting utilities such as water and power lines, abandoning by a contractor, legal hurdles and budget constraints not just pushed the cost of the project but has also raised questions over its completion.
The underpass, once completed, will connect Sultanpuri with areas such as Nangloi and Rohtak Road. Sultanpuri has three exits: one is a kuccha road that goes towards Mangolpuri, which is almost impossible to use as it is a rough, heavily encroached lane. It’s the same situation at the other road connecting Kirari.
The third exit is 60-foot-wide road leading to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital (Mangolpuri) above a drain. But construction to widen a portion of this road (near the drain) has been going on so this route ends up with endless traffic jams.
The only alternative is the unmanned railway crossing. “To avoid traffic jam at first two stretches, residents risk their lives every day and cross the unmanned railway track. This has resulted in countless accidents,” said Naresh Gupta, president of Friends Enclave RWA.
REPEATED DELAYS
The unified municipal corporation started constructing a railway overbridge and underpass in 2010 costing ₹52 crore. The target was two years, but eight years later, it remains a distant dream.
After MCD’S trifurcation, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation took over. “We were supposed to relocate several shops before initiating construction. This ended up taking a lot of time. By the time we were through, the contractor, which had completed only 23% construction by August 2012, refused to continue. We blacklisted the contractor after they violated norms and floated fresh tenders,” said a senior North Corporation official. “Fund crunch also halted the work for years,” the official said.
Finally, after more than five years of the project lying dormant, a new contractor started work at the site in October 2017 and this time the deadline for the project was set for August 2019. “We are regularly monitoring it and the contractor has completed 40% of the project. We will hopefully open the project before the deadline,” said Jayendra Dabas, former leader of house and BJP councillor.
‘AGENCIES NOT SERIOUS’
The residents, however, blame the civic agency. “While Northern Railway completed their portion within a year, civic officials did not even come here to see progress at the site,” said Naresh Gupta. “It was only after the local MLA moved high court, which fixed a deadline to complete the work in 22 months, that the civic agency came into action,” he said.
Local MLA Sandeep Kumar said there were several rounds of meetings with MCD officials. “We failed to see any progress on ground and this had forced us to take matter to court in 2015,” he said.
‘WE’VE BEEN LIVING IN HELL’
Residents say civic authorities fails to gauge that the delay prevents them from performing simple tasks like commuting, taking their children to school etc. “We have been living in hell ever since work on the project started. It takes more than an hour to get out of this place and reach the other side of road (towards Nangloi),” Shamsher Singh, a resident of Friends Enclave, said. “To reach the nearest Metro station, we have to either dare the railway tracks or take a detour. The roads are in a pathetic condition and there are massive traffic jams,” said Singh.
Other residents voiced concerns about safety. “Rickshaw drivers refuse to ferry us home because there is no connectivity. There was talk about a foot overbridge for pedestrians to cross the railway track, but there has been no construction at all,” said Anita Agarwal, a resident.
Lack of policing and streetlights, and increasing encroachments along the railway track has made the place unsafe after dark. “We avoid using the area after 7pm. Drug addicts hover around and every other day cases of chain or mobile snatching are reported,” a resident said.
Without the access, people say they cannot even do what normal citizens would do. “We got our children admitted to nearby schools or arrange for own transport because schools do not provide transport to the area,” said Gupta.