Long queues, traffic snarls are a daily occurrence
Ever since the Ministry of External Affairs has allowed the use of residential areas for the purpose of setting up of embassies and their related offices, Shantiniketan has seen the operation of such offices increasing manifold in the colony. A number of embassies and offices have translated into an increase in foot falls which has started affecting the colony and its residents adversely.
The Romanian Embassy on 3rd Street is one such example. Daily 350 to 400 people descend on the colony to apply for Romanian visas. Many of these are not even residents of India, as people from Nepal and Bangladesh who do not have Romanian Consulates in their countries, also come here to apply for visas. The embassy does not provide them access to toilets, bathrooms, tea or even water.
In the absence of any such facility all these people wait in long queues under the trees, on the park benches or just on the pavements outside the embassy. Long lines of auto rickshaws with intermittent traffic snarls are the order of the day. These people come from far off villages, who have been waylaid by contractors in search of better job opportunities. The problem lies in the fact that for each person applying for a visa, 2 to 3 people from the native towns or villages come along with them. The moment these people get the visa they are instantly taken away to board the flight, as such a number of people come to just see them off. This is the reason for the hordes of people around the embassy every single day.
SNRA has had several meetings with the embassy to sort out this mess. Suggestions have been made to streamline the entire process by way of a token system as also times slots that could result in people coming on staggard timings and leaving after visa application. None of the suggestions have been implemented nor any attempt has been made to streamline the process so as not to inconvenience the residents of Shantiniketan.
Similarly there is another issue pertaining to the European Union office which has some 40 staff cars being parked every single day which goes up to 50 + cars whenever there is a meeting.
The colony’s parks, pavements, roads, water, sewer and the entire infrastructure is taking a hit as a result of the daily influx of hundreds of people into the colony. This is one issue that needs to be addressed at the earliest.
