Sewer manholes protruding over the surface of the road have become a common sight across Dwarka. Such manholes are covered but are raised at a certain height from the surface of the road, which is an invitation to disaster for commuters. A few incidents of vehicles bumping into these manholes have also been reported. However, the civic agencies do not seem bothered.
Shobhit Chauhan, a resident of Sector 23 and an RTI activist, says, “I have seen that these raised manholes have come up in Sector 17 after some recent sewer work in a service lane. There are others I've seen on the master plan road between sectors 20 and 23, and on the service lane in front of Peepal Apartments, Sector 17. These structures are a violation of road safety laws.”
Residents say these manholes are left in this state usually after repair work on roads or sewers. They say that after completing the work, the agencies do not think about commuter safety at all.
Pradeep Bansal, a resident of Katyayani Apartments, Sector 6, says, “These structures are above road level, which is an offence as far as road safety is concerned. The DDA should take notice and make them level with the road.”
There are quite a few such manholes on the service road in Sector 2 in front of societies such as Anmol Apartments, Ashadeep Apartments, Mandakini Apartments, Mahalaxmi Apartments and NPSC Apartments.
JN Pandey, former vice-president of Ashadeep Apartments, says, “Such uneven manholes are dangerous for bike riders. There’s one located just before the turn towards Mahalaxmi Apartments. In the dark, one can easily get hurt due to this protruding manhole. It should be levelled soon.”
When City Spidey took up the matter with DDA, an official said the subject would be looked into soon.
An uneven manhole at the turn towards a Sector 2 service lane