Jangpura residents to finally get a community centre

After a long legal battle, residents of Jangpura will finally get a community centre. It has been 10 years since the land was earmarked by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in Jangpura-B for amenities to be build for residents.

In its May 2016 order, the Delhi High Court has asked the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to start work on the 1142 sqm plot and complete the project by June 2018. In order to redeem the plot, the Jangpura RWA had filed a petition in the High Court in 2006. The locality does not have a community centre, and has been pursuing the matter with the concerned authorities, as there is no place to hold public functions or other events.

“So far, we don’t have a place to organise public and private functions such as on Independence Day, festivals when we invite political leaders and other dignitaries. A community hall in a locality is a must,” said Meeta Raghvan, a resident.

She added while there is one such facility in Jangpura Extension, it does not serve the purpose, as it remains booked most of the time and it is not easy to find a free space there. However, the agency’s delay in building a facility gave opportunity to encroachers. A religious structure and slum clusters too came up which were later removed by the DDA following a court order.

Residents claimed that most of these were migrant workers, who had made it home for years. Besides, it served as a hideout for anti-social elements and since the plot is located in the middle of the colony, it created a sense of insecurity among residents, especially women. The plot was also used as a dumping ground by nearby colonies. While now the MCD has fixed its signboard there, people continue to dump waste here.

“Now that the court order has come, we will have to follow it up with the civic body to make sure the work starts on time. We have written to the civic agency to build a state-of-the-art centre with facilities such as lawns, gym and swimming pool,” said Monu Chaddha, president, RWA, who had filed the petition in the matter.

This is the biggest legal battle, he said, the RWA has won in the interest of the residents. “It took years of litigation to pursue the matter, which ideally the DDA should have done. It was only last year that the agency transferred the land to the SDMC for the centre,” said Chaddha.

After the court order, the SDMC (Central Zone) had submitted a draft in the HC for the said project, according to which they were to prepare the architectural drawings for the said project by July 1.

“The proposal is in the process. It took time as we had to check the feasibility of the site, as high-tension wire is passing along the backside of the boundary wall of the proposed plot. The preparation of cost estimates on the basis of the proposal drawings will take about three months and should be ready by October 31. The tenders will be floated then to award the work,” a senior corporation official said.