02
IN & AROUND
THE NOIDA TOLL BRIDGE COMPANY LIMITED WILL BEGIN THE REPAIR WORK ON THE NOIDA AND MAYUR VIHAR LINKS OF THE DND FLYWAY FROM MARCH 10.
HT Live East Delhi, Friday, March 02, 2012
www.hindustantimes.com
WHY I WILL NEVER LEAVE DILSHAD GARDEN
Life here is peaceful and comfortable DC Sharma
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Dilshad Garden has a good mix of the rural fragrance and urban culture and heritage, says DC Sharma. WASEEM GASHROO / HT PHOTO
I have been residing in Dilshad Garden since 1985 and have spent nearly 27 years here. There are a lot of good things about my neighbourhood because that is the reason I chose to settle down here. Prior to shifting here I was living in the so-called sophisticated area of New Delhi, DIZ area, near Gole Dak Khana, and spent most of my youth there. The area has mostly young working class people but Dilshad Garden has a good mix of both young and old, the rural fragrance as well as the urban culture and heritage. The facilities here are good. This was the first area that got connected with the Delhi Metro
DILSHAD GARDEN HAS A A LOT OF GREENERY AND DC SHARMA ENJOYS HIS WALKS IN THESE ORNAMENTAL PARKS.
network. It has proved to be a boon for the people. Residents can now travel at great ease and comfort. Dilshad Garden also has a lot of greenery. There are small parks everywhere with rich vegetation. I enjoy my morning and evenings walk in these ornamental parks, which are quite well-maintained. Blooming flowers, lush green lawns and lots of shrubs around are a joy to
watch in this concrete jungle. I enjoy the fresh air while jogging and doing yoga here. The area is complete in itself in many ways. As there are good educational institutions and reputed hospitals and nursing homes, residents don’t need to go anywhere else. Every block and pocket of Dilshad Garden has its own market and the residents find it quite convenient. Dilshad Garden is spread over 27 segments in terms of blocks and pockets and has a population of more than six lakh. I am proud to be a part of this colony and no other place in the city, I feel, can be compared to it. I enjoy living a very peaceful life here. I can surely say that Dilshad Garden is the pride of Delhi.
Unused overhead tanks in danger of falling
Rajkumari Tankha ■
rtankha@hindustantimes.com
Of the 45 overhead water tanks (OHTs) in various localities in east Delhi, at least 13 have been lying unused. Significantly, though constructed in the early 1970s for storage and subsequent supply of water, these have never been used even once. “When these societies were under construction, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had made it mandatory for each group housing society to construct an overhead tank for supply of water,” says SR Sangar, secretary general, Federation of IPEX-2 Housing Societies. But somehow these tanks were
never put to use. Initially, each house in the area was getting direct supply of water through the pipeline. Later, after the water and sewerage service were handed over to the Delhi Jal Board, the DJB constructed two underground reservoirs (UGR) for water storage, one in AGCR Enclave and another in Surajmal Vihar. Lack of upkeep and disuse has resulted in the tanks becoming rusted and dangerous, while the area around has wild vegetation in many cases. “These OHTs are located either inside parks (Dayanand Vihar, Surajmal Vihar and Preet Vihar) or amidst houses (Anand Vihar and Gagan Vihar). Since most of these tanks are in a dilapidated
state there is a danger of these falling down, and if and when that happens it may be fatal,” says Hargobind Enclave resident Rajnish Joshi. Accepting that these OHTs are massive structures, which need to be demolished, DJB chief engineer (east) Subhash Arya said, “Since these water tanks are amidst residential localities, a lot of care needs to be taken. The DJB has already done a survey of entire Delhi to check out the locations of these unused overhead water tanks. A comprehensive work tender will be floated by April this year after which an agency for undertaking this work will be selected,” he adds.
Laxmi Nagar remains perennially dug up Aparna Singh Gupta ■
aparna@hindustantimes.com
Laxmi Nagar is definitely one of the most popular markets in east Delhi. But it is also one of the most difficult to visit. The overflowing sewers remain one of the oldest and biggest problems here. Now again, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has started some digging work. To make situation worse for the commuters, there is debris lying along the main road with construction material dumped alongside. All this leaves little place for pedestrians. “The sewers overflow throughout the year as the stormwater drains are choked. The problem has persisted for the past five years yet there has been no solution,” says SK Dhingra, a local trader. The traders feel it is sad that
Why will anyone want to visit this market now? People have to jump over puddles of sewer water and put up with the stench. G A G A N M E H TA , trader
the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has not been able to bring about any improvement in the area. “Why will anyone want to visit this market now? People have to jump over puddles of sewer water and put up with the stench. So business suffers,” says Gagan Mehta, another trader. Initially, the market had problems like lack of parking lots. But in the past few years, problems pertaining to sewer have
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The Delhi Jal Board has started some deep sewer work in Laxmi Nagar.
only grown. In an application to the MCD, the traders had mentioned that all illegal shops should be closed down since these have increased the load on the existing sewerlines in the area. “The number of illegal shops
and vendors in Laxmi Nagar has also grown,” says Rachna Mishra, who works in a store. “The problem here is that sewer lines sink even after they are laid again because of the unchecked commercialisation in the area. The number of build-
SUSHIL KUMAR / HT PHOTO
ings has increased. The sewerlines have not been laid keeping that load in mind. We have raised the issues with Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. We are awaiting some action,” says BB Tyagi, chairman, ward committee, Shahdara South.
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