Dear Delhi MLA, your area and my area in monsoon: Spot the difference

Ratiya Marg in south Delhi’s Sangam Vihar area looked like it had been hit by a storm Saturday after light morning showers. The light spell of rain left the crucial road submerged in water, bringing traffic to a crawl. Vehicles inched by the central verge to avoid accumulated water.

At an intersection near Sat Narayan Mandir, where a Sangam Vihar road opens onto Ratiya Marg, vehicles were stuck and people pressed on the horns. The pole of a footover bridge was wrenched loose by a truck, which gingerly tried to inch its way inside Sangam Vihar, the largest unauthorised colony in Asia. A crowd gathered, trying to fix the pole, while the drain overflowed.

“This is how it has been for the last 25 years since I settled here,” says Khareti Lal, an autorickshaw driver. “Nothing has changed and nothing will. Water goes into our homes. We lose an entire day only commuting in and out of our homes because everything comes to a standstill like the traffic here. Shops close down because no one comes to buy food or wares when the lanes are choked with waist-deep water. Of course, mosquitoes are there.”

MLA Dinesh Mohaniya’s house is in this locality in Khanpur. Oinam Anand

What Dinesh Mohaniya says:

“One has to understand the geography of Sangam Vihar. It is a number of congested blocks of small houses all opening out onto one road — Ratiya Marg. That is why all the water drains out onto the road, causing waterlogging. We have been working on improving drainage through a short-term and a long-term plan. As per the short-term plan, we have tendered out work worth Rs 40 lakh from my MLA LAD fund to contractors to remove blockages in the current drainage system. This work will begin in a few days because contractors are not willing to work when it is raining, as digging may cause a road to cave in. A few days ago, workers removed blockages such as trees and BSES poles taking up half of the drain width. Long-term plans are being worked on. We are planning to fix cement (RCC) drain boxes at an estimated cost of Rs 138 crore along the residential blocks. The proposal is pending with a few departments for clearance.”

An open garbage dump at Shashi Garden. Cheena Kapoor

By Abhishek Angad

Constituency: Patparganj
Area: Shashi Garden jhuggis
Problem: Lack of proper sewer
MLA: Manish Sisodia

Titu (35), who sells onions in the jhuggi market, is angry. “Before the elections last year, Manish Sisodia stood in the market and asked us to vote for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for better facilities. At a camp in Sanjay Lake area, he said a sewer system will constructed to prevent sewage from getting inside our homes. It was just a promise, nothing happened.”

Sajahan Biwi, who stays in house number 330, says she raised the floor of her house to prevent sewage from getting inside her home during monsoon. “The floor to ceiling height is just 7 ft now, but I had to do it. Where are the steps they promised before the elections?”

People in the jhuggis say due to poor sewer connection, waste accumulates outside their homes for days. Sajahan Biwi says, “Apart from the foul odour, the filth spreads diseases.” A tailor, whose house is below ground level, says, “I was not at home once when it rained and sewage entered our home. My son spent the night on a bench, waiting for it to recede.”

Where Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia lives. Praveen Khanna

Sisodia could not be reached for comment:

Calls to Deputy CM and Patparganj MLA Manish Sisodia did not elicit any response. A party official who handles his calls said he would try to get a comment from him. Later, he said the MLA was busy and directed the reporter to speak to DUSIB head V K Jain. Despite attempts, Jain could not be reached for comment.

The choked drain in Karawal Nagar. Cheena Kapoor

By Abhishek Angad

Constituency: Karawal Nagar
Problem: Choked Drain
MLA: Kapil Mishra

The big problem in the constituency is a choked storm water drain. It stands still, choked with plastic, wet waste and debris. Residents say the condition remains how it was when AAP came to power. This area is densely populated, with houses and small factories surrounding the long drain.

A worker in one of the factories says, “The condition of the drain has deteriorated in the last few years and we have to continuously stay near dirt. The drain in full of garbage and people of this place too throw garbage in it. Sometimes, the stench is unbearable.” Residents say the drain is a concern for them as it is a health hazard, especially during monsoon.

Where Minister Kapil Mishra lives. Praveen Khanna

What Kapil Mishra says about the problem:

“Construction of a sump and a pump is going on to resolve the problem. Tender for the desilting has been given, however, basic desilting is being done regularly. The problem of the dirt in the area will stop once the garbage of five constituencies dumped near Biharipur into the drain stops. I have been talking to the MCDs to stop it.”

Potholes on a road stretch near Civic Centre. Praveen Khanna

By Sarah Hafeez

Constituency: Matia Mahal (Old Delhi)
Area: Kamla Market area around the Civic Centre
Problem: Old, clogged drains
MLA: Asim Ahmed Khan

The Kamla Market area around the Civic Centre was slick with muck after the light morning showers Saturday. It was messier inside Old Delhi’s bylanes. At a bylane in the area, a bike rushed in between a rickshaw and a van, creating a bottleneck that brought traffic to a halt.

This had a ripple effect on both sides of the lane. Water accumulates in these areas after rain for a few hours, but the ripple effect is for far longer due to the nature of traffic, road features and demographics of the area, say locals. Sartaj Iqbal, a shopkeeper in Ajmeri Gate, says, “When it rains heavily, water collects in the lanes and it becomes very unhygienic for shopkeepers and buyers. But the real problem is because of the abysmal road conditions.” Large craters on road stretches in the area slow down mules, rickshaws, autorickshaws and vehicles, causing jams and testing people’s patience.

Where Asim Ahmed Khan lives. Praveen Khanna

What Asim Ahmed Khan says:

“There is no such problem in Kamla Market area because the streets are wide. But the lanes branching from it are narrower. The drains in Old Delhi are very narrow and old cement ones. They have decomposed and their iron holdings are clogged with garbage. The water takes some time, around an hour, to drain out due to these reasons during heavy rains. We are now replacing these with plastic pipelines which have a life of over a 100 years. And, since we are digging up roads, we are also replacing old water pipes, which often break and the water gets contaminated with sewage from the adjoining old sewer pipes. Last year, we spent roughly Rs 7 crore comprising all of the MLA LAD fund and some from the Delhi Jal Board. This year, we are spending Rs 200 crore on 13 stretches in Mohalla Kabaristan, Chhatta Lal Mian, Gali Najafgarh, Gali Kuen Wali, Phatak Shamshi Cottage, Gali Hakimji Wali, among others. It is not true that we are getting work done now during the rainy season. We have been doing work all year round for the last two years. For decades, before I came, Shoaib Iqbal, the former MLA, did no work. Now, we cannot do all the work with the wave of a magic wand.”

By Abhishek Angad

Constituency: Mehrauli
Area: The road from Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj till Andheria Mod
Problem: Potholes on a road stretch since 2012 and massive traffic jams. The problem spot is not far from the area where a man was run over by a truck after he fell from his motorcycle when it got stuck in a pothole
MLA: Naresh Yadav

Joginder Singh (51), who stays in a broken house guarding a temple in the area, says the entire road stretch is problem for commuters and ankle-deep water often accumulates in the area after even “normal” spells of rain and leads to traffic jams on the entire stretch. “Most of the stretch is surrounded by farmhouses and there is little space on the roads for heavy vehicles. The road has potholes all over and the problems get worse during the rainy season,” says Singh. Residents of the area say work started on the road stretch in 2012, but was left incomplete due to “some” dispute. “When work started, we thought the problem will be solved, but incomplete work has worsened the waterlogging,” says a resident. “People have to endure traffic jams every day.”

Where Naresh Yadav has his office. His house is nearby. Amit Mehra

What Naresh Yadav says on the incomplete road work:

“In 2012, a contract was awarded at a total cost of Rs 11 crore, but the then government did not acquire the land for the construction and the job was left incomplete. Then, the residents of the area had also objected to the construction, saying it would lead to demolition of the boundary of a society. I have had several meeting with residents and now there is a consensus. I have been doing rounds with PWD engineers to take stock of the situation. A few day ago, during the rains, we managed to dig an area on the side for water to pass and resolve the waterlogging problem temporarily. A new contract has been awarded and within one-and-a-half months, work to construct the road will be visible.”

What the three Mayors say

By Naveed Iqbal

East Delhi Municipal Corporation

In the most populated part of the national capital, east Delhi, Mayor Satya Sharma says, “Most of the interior roads are mastic asphalt roads and they get damaged during the rainy season. Therefore, there is little we can do beforehand.” She adds that as soon as the corporation receives a complaint on helpline, mobile pump sets are sent out to clear the waterlogged area. The east corporation does not have any patch repair machines, but the one with the north corporation is deployed to “temporarily patch” the potholes. According to Sharma, Laxmi Nagar, Shakarpur and New Ashok Nagar are problem areas.

North Delhi Municipal Corporation

The north corporation comprises the walled city with some of the oldest buildings in the capital. Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar says, “Sanitation, post-rainfall, may have been a concern. I am getting this checked, but we have had no waterlogging in old Delhi or any other parts of the north. The roads that did get waterlogged are main roads belonging to the PWD.” Along with identifying vulnerable points, given its composition, the north civic body is also tasked with identifying vulnerable structures pre-monsoon.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation

Mayor Shyam Sharma claims all rainfall-related complaints in the jurisdiction of the SDMC came from roads managed by the PWD. “Roads in the interiors are clean and there have been no complaints.” He adds that SDMC is prepared with “man and machinery” for rain. On unauthorised colonies, Sharma says, “We are not allowed to invest in any kind of development work in these areas. The people understand that and that’s why when I went to Mohan Garden, where three people died, I wasn’t cornered but (AAP minister) Satyendar Jain was.”