Commuters and residents living in areas adjoining this 800-m stretch have complained to the authorities about the traffic situation. But nothing has changed in the past four years.
Friday market in New Ashok Nagar
Surbhi Singh is a commuter who regularly crosses New Ashok Nagar to reach her office in Sector 3, Noida. She, like many others who drive along the 800-m stretch under the Metro corridor, encounters massive traffic jams, particularly in the evening. And this has been happening for four years.
In her words, “In the evening it takes over 30 minutes to cross this stretch and come to the road that connects New Ashok Nagar and Dharamshila [Vasundhara Enclave].”
Commuters and residents living in areas adjoining this stretch have complained to the traffic police, local politicians, the municipal councillor and officials in different departments of the Delhi government about the traffic congestion. However, nothing has changed.
City Spidey was told that in the last municipal elections, residents of East End Apartments, one of the largest cooperative group housing societies in Delhi, which accommodates more than 5,000 people, had demanded development on this stretch.
Avisekh Mishra, a senior officer of East Delhi traffic police, said that efforts were being made to resolve the issue. “After receiving complaints,
To make matters worse, vehicles are parked on both the sides of the stretch running from East End Apartments to the Noida border. Encroachments, too, are rampant on this stretch.
“The traffic police will conduct an anti-encroachment drive with the cooperation of the municipal corporation. The penalties on illegal parking shall also be revised from Rs 100 to Rs 1,200. The municipal corporation’s drive against illegal parking should be more effective, as the penalties will range between Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000 or above. If the municipal body seeks our support, we shall be happy to cooperate,” Mishra states.
However, when City Spidey contacted the area municipal councillor (New Ashok Nagar), Rajni Pandey, she had a different take. “I can only ensure the cleanliness of the road and the locality. Traffic issues and development of the road are not under my jurisdiction,” she answered. When our reporter questioned whether she has approached the traffic police about illegal parking, Pandey chose to ignore the question. “I will ask the East Delhi traffic police for a date on which we can conduct a joint operation,” was her rather sheepish reply.
A project of installing sewer lines (in an adjoining residential colony) is also compounding the traffic chaos on this 800-m stretch. Around 10 manholes, covering almost 300 m of the road, have been dug up. However, the private contractor has abandoned the project, citing a fund crunch.
Speaking to City Spidey, Bhure Singh, a junior engineer of DJB in charge of the sewer-line project, said, “The damaged road will be repaired by PWD. We will complete the work by next week and then approach PWD.”
However, Naresh Meena, an engineer with PWD in charge of Mayur Vihar and New Ashok Nagar, said, “As per the official procedure, DJB has to finance the repair work of the portions that it has dug up. We are waiting for DJB’s confirmation.”
Meena also informed City Spidey that the zonal office (Mayur Vihar) has made a proposal for widening and repairing the entire stretch from New Ashok Nagar Metro station to the Noida border. “A project proposal for Rs 1.7 crore has been sent to the PWD head office for a final approval. We are hopeful that the proposal will soon get clearance,” Meena added.
