Troubled by broken roads and poor garbage disposal, residents of Abul Fazal Enclave in south Delhi’s Okhla Vihar area say that they feel ignored by the authorities.
Their newly formed Residents’ Welfare Association keeps receiving complaints about various issues and now plans to write to government agencies to find solutions to their problems, which also include illegal parking and encroachment on roads.
Parvez Alam, secretary of the RWA, said that some roads had been relaid, while some others have been in need of attention for long.
“These broken roads for obvious reasons make the area prone to accidents. Too many accidents occur all the time. The government has worked. It’s not that they haven’t. Some broken roads in nearby areas have been relaid. Some others need attention,” he said.
Speaking on the issue of garbage disposal and cleanliness, Alam said municipal workers visited the area only once in 15 days or still less frequently.
“At times they come to do the cleaning. Most times they don’t. The drains are open and they are always filled with garbage, which blocks them. Residents complain to us about it all the time,” he said.
The RWA, Alam said, was formed about six months ago. “Now we will start writing to the authorities to look into these issues,” he said.
“Encroachment is another issue. As you can see, the shop owners have encroached on a major part of the road, making the road narrow. As you move ahead on this road towards Okhla metro station, you see plenty of vehicles parked illegally. There is need for a parking zone,” he said.
Mazhar Ul Haq, 58, who runs a shop in the area, said the government should “take action against those who park their vehicles illegally”.
He complained that the authorities didn’t show any interest in serving the people. “We don’t understand if it is laziness or just disinterest in the system that these basics are not taken care of.”
Tarannum Zehra, 39, a housewife, said that she had tried spreading awareness among people, urging them not to dump garbage in the streets and drains, but that wasn’t enough.
“I am tired of telling people not to throw garbage in the streets or drains. Some of them agree. To who all do we go and explain this? There is no regular cleaning either. To what extent can we cover the drains by ourselves? Kids play here. There is a problem for them also. I don’t feel like spending time on the street,” she said.