NEW DELHI: Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V K Saxena has directed the concerned officers to ensure that the Burari area in North Delhi is sanitised and cleaned in a time-bound manner, officials said on Thursday.
The directions came after the L-G on Wednesday visited Burari, which houses a population of nearly 20 lakh in as many as 80 unauthorised colonies and took stock of the situation.
According to officials, Saxena has been receiving repeated requests from residents of various unauthorised colonies to visit their area and help address the grievances and prevailing civic problems. He had last visited Kirari on February 10.
While visiting several colonies of Burari, comprising Sant Nagar, Nathu Pura, Burari village, Baba Colony, and Laxmi Vihar, among others, the official said that L-G was “shocked to witness the lack of basic civic infrastructure and sanitation services.”
The residents told Saxena that the sewage line by Delhi Jal Board covers only 70 per cent of houses. Many houses are yet to be connected, the officials said, adding that the sewer was only 1.5 meters in diameter, which was insufficient even to meet the existing drainage requirements.
Moreover, of the 80 colonies in the area, they said, roads had been constructed only in 17.
Officials claimed that apart from dust-filled streets, open drains - choked and overflowing - dotted entire stretches of colonies, and garbage from the area was being disposed of on the Yamuna floodplain itself, despite the Bhalaswa landfill site being in close vicinity of the area.
The locals brought to the L-G’s notice that the administration has “restored” a water body in Burari village, but it remains filled with sludge and debris, with drains and sewage flowing into it.
They also complained of encroachment of roads by shops, leading to traffic jams at peak hours, besides the lack of last-mile connectivity and the absence of DTC bus routes.
“The L-G was visibly upset over the state of roads throughout his route, overflowing sewers, heaps of garbage, broken pavements and dividers in the area. He was anguished that such apathy on the part of the government agencies had led to pitiable living conditions in one of the most densely populated areas of the city,” officials said.
The L-G instructed the PWD principal secretary, the DJB CEO, and the MCD commissioner to take immediate steps to ensure sanitation in the area, the officials added.