For years, locals have been demanding a bridge over the busy road near Qutub Minar Metro station, which has become quite accident prone
For years, people have been dying or getting injured on the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road near the Qutub Minar Metro station as the busy stretch has no foot-over bridge (FOB). While the number of accidents goes on increasing, residents' pleas to the authorities have been falling on deaf ears.
"We have been demanding an FOB at that spot for the last five years. It is very difficult for pedestrians to cross the road as even the traffic signals don't work properly. It has become a highly accident-prone zone," Sandeep Bali, President of the Mehrauli Resident Welfare Association (RWA), said.
Residents rued that the government has turned a blind eye to their problems. After prolonged protest by the RWA members, the foundation stone for the FOB was laid on December 26, 2014, but nothing happened after that.
Blaming the Forest Department for the delay, Bali said: "The Forest Department raised objections and halted the construction because 11 trees needed to be cut. We approached the local MLA and also discussed the issue with the environmentalists concerned, but there has been no progress. The Public Works Department (PWD) and Forest Department are simply blaming each other for the delay."
When questioned, one of the Forest Department officials said: "The area where the FOB construction is supposed to take place falls under the reserve forest zone. So, it can't be used for any non-forestry purpose. We haven't stopped the construction of the FOB. Only, the area for construction has been reduced. Moreover, if the construction begins, some other area will have to be identified for tree plantation. But such an area is yet to be identified."
The PWD officials, on the other hand, claimed that it was not clear to which category the area belonged to. Later, the Geospatial Delhi Limited (GSDL) identified it as Morphological Forest zone. The official said: "We're basically waiting for clearance from the Range Management Board and the Supreme Court. Hopefully, we'll get the clearance in another 10-15 days and will be able to start construction soon afterwards."
OWNERSHIP ISSUES
- PWD officials, on the other hand, claimed that it was not clear to which category the area belonged to.
- Later, the Geospatial Delhi Limited (GSDL) identified it as Morphological Forest zone.
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