Lost world: Their twin hopes of reconnect are in a shambles

IT is almost as if Sultanpuri was never a part of Delhi, cut off as it is from the arterial approach es to the rest of the capital. Residents of Sultanpuri complain that auto-rickshaws refuse to ferry them home from other parts of the city, pizza companies do not deliver in the area and even the risky walk across an unmanned railway crossing to buy vegetables is rendered riskier by the absence of street illumination.The erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi did decide to build a railway overbridge and underpass in 2008, but that was eight years ago. The frustrated residents await its completion.
The underpass once constructed will connect Sultanpuri with Nangloi and the Rohtak Road, opening up the area to the rest of the city. Many then will presumably not have the dismal civic infrastructure affecting their career, like it did in the case of Shamsher Singh. Singh worked with an MNC in Gurgaon, but his daily 80-km commute took six precious hours of his day.
“I had to quit my job because the long travel started telling on my health,“ says Singh, who now runs a small business. “I could not relocate to Gurgaon since I had my home here. The lack of civic infrastructure has disruption in our lives.“
Sultanpuri has two exits: one is a kutcha road toward Mangolpuri that is well night impossible to use, being a narrow, rough lane with ob structions on either side. The other is the as-yet-unfinished overbridge-underpass, where the hemmed-in residents dare fate every day . “We are forced to cross the unmanned railway crossing because the other paths are in a pathetic condition and are blocked for most of the day ,“ said Ved Pal, a resident.
Without the access, the people cannot even do what normal citizens would do. “We got our children admitted to a nearby public school because the other schools do not provide transport to Sultanpuri due to lack of proper roads,“ says Kavita, a teacher. “We almost live in hell. There are times when we go out in the evenings, but we mostly stay at home because it is not safe. Drug addicts hover around the railway tracks, and every second day there are cases of rapes, murders or chain snatching.“
In fact, the locals are quite aggrieved that the image of Sultanpuri is built around its crime rate, diminishing its real-life problems like roads and transport to insignificance. “The law and order situation is bad here, but is that our fault?“ argues Singh.“The government and police have failed us. I was rejected for posts at reputed institutions because I belong to a place that is always in the news for the wrong reasons.“
The civic mess is also evident in the area's unsanitary environs. “We have complained many times to the area councillor and our MLA, but the corporation does not carry out fogging activity or collect garbage reg ularly. Even the hospitals and clinics are on the other side of the railway tracks,“ adds Ved Pal.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation, faced with a severe financial crunch, is unsure when the overbridge-underpass will be completed. “Since 2008, there have been several problems relating to acquisition of land and shifting of services from agencies like Delhi Jal Board,“ responds Parvesh Wahi, chairman of the standing committee of the civic body. “Several shops were supposed to relocate but this took a lot of time and by the time we were through, the contractor refused to continue work. We blacklisted the contractor after they violated the norms of the agreement and have floated fresh tenders. The work will begin anew and residents will not have to risk their lives.“
Wahi also contends that the Delhi government did not cooperate with the corporation in finishing the project. However, Sandeep Kumar, the area's Aam Aadmi Party MLA, did not respond despite TOI's several attempts at contacting him. One can understand Sultanpuri's grouse.Living medieval lives in the capital of an emerging power cannot be too inspiring.