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Journalism of Courage
Lajpat Nagar could well be a market for second hand cars if you saw the enormous number of vehicles parked on either side of the road. But the cars are just evidence of the mammoth parking problem one of Delhi8217;s busiest markets faces, in the absence of proper parking lots.
Want to to visit a shop in the middle of the market? Drive your vehicle right in, as close to the shop as you can, and park. But by the time you are finished with your shopping, you might just find your car trapped in a sea of other vehicles, putting to serious test to your driving skills as you make your way through the haphazard parking. 8220;It is a virtual nightmare and you enter the market with a prayer on your lips hoping to find a nook to squeeze in,8221; puffs Mukesh Kumar, a shopper.
8220;The space available for parking is too less compared to the vehicles that keep pouring in,8221; admits S. K. Mehrotra, MCD Deputy Commissioner, 8220;I am all for making Lajpat Nagar market a no-parking zone, it should be like a shopping plaza.8221;
Traders resent the fact that the police has done little to control the traffic. Sanjeev Kumar, ACP, Lajpat Nagar, passes the buck on: 8220;The parking regulation does not come under my domain. It is the responsibility of the traffic police. Still, I have reduced the parking fee by half and tried to reduce the congetion in front of the market.8221;
If you are looking out for public conveniences, Lajpat Nagar Market is the wrong place. Toilets are nowhere in sight, but a pile of rubble in one nondescript corner indicates MCD handiwork; traders allege that public toilets were demolished by the MCD more than three months ago and the civic body has no plans to build a new one. 8220;We sometimes have to offer customers our personal toilet to help them out,8221; says a shopkeeper. Mehrotra, of course, defends this. 8220;We are planning to build a modern toilet out there, but everything takes a little time,8221; he explains.
Illegal encroachments have not spared this market either. Wares from shops overflow into the pavements, almost joining the cars that are parked there. Pedestrians, therefore, have a tough time making their way past the cluttered pavements. Makeshift stalls selling everything from leather wallets to cheap electronic goods spread their wares on the pavement, while the more innovative ones have converted the hatch of cars into a magazine stand. The moment there8217;s a cop in the vicinity, they pick up their wares and scoot.
Most traders allege that there is a nexus between the encroachers and the civic authorities. 8220;The encroachments and the unauthorised allotments are done with the connivance of the administration,8221; thunders S. K. Sabharwal, President, Pushpa Market Traders Assosiation. 8220;Palms of the police and the corporation officials are greased to look the other way, while encroachments spread their tentacles in the market,8221; he rambles on.
Furthermore, the MCD plans to construct a piao drinking water tank at the very spot where a bomb exploded four years ago, killing several people. The traders are upset over this decision since it will crowd the market even more, and make it susceptible to such tragedies. But Mehrotra maintains: 8220;It is a pious deed to provide water to the public, I fail to understand why traders are opposing it.8221;
And of course, it would also be hard to miss the heaps of garbage everywhere. Shopkeepers claim that they have to employ private workers to throw out the garbage, since sweepers employed by the MCD hardly ever report for work. 8220;Half of the sweeper staff do not report to duty. What they do instead is give a part of their salary to the higher civic authorities,8221; alleges Sabharwal. Mehrotra too admits that 8220;there are some corrupt elements in the administration, but the vigilance department is carrying out regular checks and action has been taken against them.8221; He also blames traders for the numerous problems that afflict the market. 8220;Traders too are party to it, as they are the ones who pile up half their wares on the pavement.8221;
Traders do not subscribe to this viewpoint. Instead, they allege that the police is in cahoots with the encroachers and even tip them off when an MCD raid is about to happen. 8220;Traders themselves are the biggest encroachers as they sub-let the space in front of their shops for fat sums and resist any move to remove them,8221; lashes out Kumar.
While the ritual of mudslinging and trading charges carries on, the average shopper at Lajpat Nagar continues to suffer silently. 8220;What can we do about it?8221; questions Usha, a shopper. 8220;Civic amenities are becoming uncommon day by day and only when somebody takes up our cause do we see some hope.8221;
