Reports of unlawful activities in and around several blocks of Keshav Puram, North West Delhi have become a new normal. Jhuggi clusters near the railway line are one of the root causes of this spike in theft in the area, according to a resident.
“Every unlawful activity can be seen in our area,” said RK Gulati, president, C-7 block, Keshav Puram Welfare Association.
Gulati said that every morning residents of Keshav Puram wake up with news of the theft of motor pumps. The thieves are now targeting locked houses and vehicles in the area.
He said that most theft incidents occur in the C-4, C-5, and C-6 blocks due to their proximity to the railway line.
“Our problem was exacerbated two years later when a wall separating our area from the railway lines collapsed during heavy rains,” he added.
“We took our grievances to every authority concerned, but we don’t have hope anymore,” said the president.
The Resident Welfare Association also wrote a letter to the then Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and local MP Dr Harsh Vardhan. They received a response from the MP but no solution for their trouble.
The same was repeated by Ravindra Nath Khanna, vice president of the RWA. He also said they hire a professional security guard to patrol the neighbourhood to combat the theft threat. However, such initiatives to reduce theft also failed.
The RWA also had a thorough conversation about this with the Deputy Commissioner of Police for North West Delhi.
Thereafter, a patrol officer was also stationed nearby, but the illegal activities in the Keshav Puram neighbourhood have continued.
Gulati stated that despite having low means, they are grateful for the assistance of the SHO in their community.
Jitendra Kumar Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North West), said, “They organised picketing and patrolling in accordance with the crime hotspots in the North West area.” He added, “We also barricaded areas that are prone to criminal activity.”
Keshav Puran has turned into a heaven for thieves, says RK Gulati, president of Keshav Puram (C-7)
Citizen’s Social Welfare Association. Excerpts from an interview with Amit Pandey:
‘NO SOLUTION FOUND EVEN AFTER MISSIVES TO MP, MINISTER’
Keshav Puram has turned into a heaven for thieves, says RK Gulati, president of Keshav Puram (C-7) Citizen’s Social Welfare Association. Excerpts from an interview with Amit Pandey:
What major issues are faced by residents in the area?
Criminal activities have increased in our region over the past few years. There isn’t a day that goes by when something isn’t taken from one of our locations; our area has turned into a heaven for thieves.
Have you been able to identify the cause behind the spurt in crime?
During a severe storm two years ago, a wall separating our neighbourhood from the adjoining Railway area collapsed. After that, thieves have easy access to our region. They explore the neighbourhood in the evening before carrying out their plan at night.
Did you try and contact senior officials to find a solution to the menace?
We wrote to Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the local MP and the then-minister of railways. All of this has not, however, led to a solution to our difficulties. We also discussed our concerns with police officers, who responded favourably to our complaints. But no permanent solution has been found.
What other steps have you taken to address the situation?
We are unable to erect the wall on our own because of its high construction cost. And even though we hired a professional security guard, it had no real impact.
What is your future strategy to resolve this problem?
I don’t believe there is a viable solution to our issue unless the concerned government officials take concrete and long-lasting steps to help us.