South Delhi residents battle lethargy, danger

New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) A cluster of about 250 families in a government colony in south Delhi are battling official lethargy and the haphazard road laying that has almost cut them off from the nearest main road.

The harassed residents in Lakshmi Bai Nagar, not far from Dilli Haat, are forced every day to cross nearly four feet of deep excavation outside their homes.

This follows a move to change the old tarred roads outside their homes to concrete ones, a laborious task that also requires relaying underground electrical cables.

The residents say they have nothing against the road work per se.

But with the monsoon on, the construction work has halted and the dug up areas have accumulated rain water, with high voltage electrical cables dangerously sunk in.

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“With the cables touching rain water, there are blasts every other day,” complained one of the residents who works for the central government and who, like everyone else in the area, requested anonymity.

“Apart from we residents, even some labourers have suffered electric shocks,” the resident told IANS. “Strangers who don’t know the layout of the colony face the greatest risk of falling into the dug up area.”

With construction work halted for now, and the houses virtually cut off from the main road, parking two-wheelers – almost every other house has a scooter – and cars have become a major issue.

When complaints poured in, officials of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which provides civic amenities to the area, came visiting late last month.

“They heard our complaints, they saw for themselves how inconvenienced we were, and promised to rectify everything,” said another resident.

“But that was the last we heard from them. Nothing has changed, and there is no sign when the contractors will resume work.”

In exasperation, the residents are knocking at the doors of their MP and Sports Minister Ajay Maken.

According to the residents, those who dug up the roads mistakenly cut off electrical cables from the electric poles at many places.

Since they did not know what do with them, they simply left them hanging.

Some such cables hang into the rain water, posing a major danger.

The residents said that each time the randomly cut cables sparked, local CPWD electricians would come, join them with tape and go away.

“In no sensible city would work be allowed to be undertaken in this manner during monsoon, leaving people exposed to rain water in deep pits and electric cables hanging loosely,” a resident said.

“Are the authorities waiting for a tragedy to take place?” he asked.