Metro link,infrastructure key issues in Northeast

For the Lok Sabha elections,the lack of Metro connectivity and poor infrastructure figure high in the political debates of the area.

“Development is a major issue and basic amenities have to be provided first. Traffic has been a problem for long and only with the Metro and the signature bridge can the issue be tackled,” Congress candidate J P Aggarwal said.

With three lines,the Delhi Metro serves over 8 lakh commuters in the city. But for Northeast Delhi,it is still a distant dream.

The DMRC’s phase-II,which will be completed in September 2010,also does not have any lines connecting Northeast Delhi.

Women living in Usmanpur,Seelampur,Kardampuri and Brahmapuri,among others,have to wake up early every day to fetch water from private water tanks that come here in the morning.

The area remains dry despite the two water plants in North Delhi because all the water is supplied to South Delhi. There is only one hospital — the GTB Hospital — that caters to a population of more than 20 lakh and no Delhi University college.

“The roads are in a terrible shape. Youngsters feel shy about bringing their friends home because the roads are narrow,full of potholes,with overflowing sewer water,” Sandeep Jain,a local resident,says.

Phase II of the Delhi Metro is primarily connecting South Delhi and NCR with Central Delhi. It recently connected Jahangirpuri in the far Northwest. But the Northeast does not figure anywhere. There is,however,hope for Northeast Delhi in Phase III,which is expected to be completed only by 2015.

B L Sharma ‘Prem’,the BJP candidate from Northeast Delhi,while looking at larger issues like building the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya and getting Article 370 abolished,promises to get the Metro to the constituency. “The constituency needs better transport connectivity and we are seriously looking at getting the Metro to connect Dilshad Garden via Yamuna Vihar to ISBT. There is no BRT corridor here either,” Sharma said.

Even the signature bridge at Wazirabad is a precarious promise as it has remained untouched for several years now as tendering and re-tendering goes on for the project. This bridge has been caught between plans of being built through a public private partnership or being taken up by the tourism department.