Jangpura Junk

Junkpura would not be a misnomer for Jangpura Extension, nestled under the Defence Colony flyover. The well-maintained roads of this 49-y...

Junkpura would not be a misnomer for Jangpura Extension, nestled under the Defence Colony flyover. The well-maintained roads of this 49-year-old colony are dotted with the chassis of old vehicles 8212; three-wheelers, vintage specimens that are relics from the Raj, and vans.

Take the Railway Road, one of the entry points into Jangpura Extension, for instance. On the one side, there are as many as 28 auto-rickshaws, dismantled magnificently by time. No one knows whom they belong to, but residents of the Railway Quarters say they have been lying there for at least six years. Ironically, these pieces of junk stand directly opposite the MCD Sewer Complaint Centre. And under the flyover, there are some other interesting pieces of scrap and metal it would be an exaggeration to call them cars that have become permanent fixtures of the landscape.Many of these old vehicles have been dumped by garages and car workshops, which are aplenty in the colony. A cluster of workshops stands opposite the Eros Cinema in the colony market, encroaching upon the narrow road. While Kuldip Singh Gujral, the Municipal Councillor of the area, alleges that these shops are illegal, one of the garage employees indignantly replies, 8220;No one has told us to move out, and we do not keep our materials on the road permanently, so why should anyone complain?8221;However, says Gujral, 8220;I have been asking the enforcement authority of the MCD to remove encroachments and prevent dumping of old vehicles in the colony for the past two years, but there has been no action.8221; Predictably enough, the MCD claims they are on the job. Shashi Kant Mehrotra, Deputy Commissioner, Central Zone, admits helplessness, though. 8220;We had kept May 25 as the date for removing encroachments in Jangpura, but we could not take it up due to inadequate police protection,8221; he says, and explains, 8220;There is a lot of public resistance, and people start throwing stones.

8221;Mehrotra philosophises: 8220;When blood flows, no one recognises whether it8217;s a Government official or an ordinary citizen. It8217;s all the same colour.8221;

But he claims that the 8220;irrepressible8221; MCD has worked out yet another date for removing illegally parked vehicles and other encroachments in the area.

Then, the Delhi Jal Board, which is laying a trunk sewer in the colony, has cordoned off a portion of the road, further constricting traffic. The tale of encroachments stretches out across the road from Jangpura Extension into the neighbouring Lodi Colony as well, where a stable has come up on MCD land. There are nearly 12 horses and eight buggies parked along one side of the Fourth Avenue, Lodi Colony, occupying about 250 feet long space. Fourth Avenue is one of the central roads of the colony, and a number of buses ply along this route. In fact, the bus stop is adjacent to the illegal stable, and commuters, who have to wait on the road instead of the stand, for a bus, express inconvenience.

The 30-odd men who tend to the horses say the animals belong to Sohan Lal, the ghoriwala who rents out horses for birthday parties, wedding functions and the like. The uniforms of the liveried attendants are washed at the hand-pump meant for use by the Delhi Fire Service. The employees have also pitched tents, transforming the rectangular patch into a regular JJ cluster.

Sohan Lal, of course, denies involvement, even though a board stating Sohan Lal amp; Sons, Ghoriwala8217;, is prominently tacked onto a tree. 8220;We just have two or three tangas there, and the rest of the horses belong to those who drive them,8221; says Lal. Across the road is the Lodi Colony Community Centre, and the overpowering stink of horse excreta, say regulars, deters many from spending time there. Mehrotra is well aware of this illegal occupation of MCD land, originally meant as a resting place for horses, where they could drink water. Yet, nothing has been done.

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8220;Obviously, the MCD enforcement authorities are in connivance with these people. Why would anyone want to disturb a milch cow?8221; questions Gujral, whose ward includes Lodi Colony. Further up, in Mehar Chand market, which borders the India Habitat Centre, commercial generators have been placed at will by shopkeepers on and along the road. In addition to being an ugly sight, these generate a lot of heat and exhausts, creating a hazard for residents. 8220;They also occupy parking space and create noise pollution,8221; says Kamal Tiwari, a shopper in the area.

While Gujral has been active in pressing for action from MCD, and even plans to stage a dharna, positive change doesn8217;t seem to be in the offing. The junk that has slowly piled up in Jangpura Extension is nearly a decade old; in Lodi Colony, the stable has been there so long, residents are surprised when you tell them it8217;s an encroachment.