As one drives through the “encroached” sector roads, one wonders why (so-called) “educated” people lack is in basic civic sense and tries to hog every possible inch of public space. Legally, beyond the boundary wall the space is for public use. At most parking cars parallel to the house is reasonable but alas it does not stop at that.
The 9-meter roads were not designed for encroachments (does not imply that 12m roads can be encroached!). Gardens, security cabins, generator housings and the like that fall in the “permanent” category obstruct the free flow of traffic. Multiple notices by the Authority have come and gone asking residents to demolish encroachments but no action – fine or bulldozing – means notices are a mere formality. Coming to the so-called “temporary” nuisance (but this also lasts months to years) which is worse – dumping construction material occupying 25% to 50% of the “motorable” road (the metaled motorable road is just about 5m). Again, this is also considered a “right”. The building material for the under-construction houses creates a lot of nuisance for the neighbourhood when the material occupies half the road and blocks the traffic. Iron rods (used in construction) on the road pose serious injury hazards for any pedestrian in the dark.
RWAs either are not empowered to stop this practice or keep their eyes closed on this nuisance causing environmental pollution. Construction is an ongoing process and should not become a cause of pollution for people already residing there. If Authority enforce the rule to cordon off the site of construction like it is followed in Delhi then the neighbourhood would have a sigh of relief. If all the owners of the construction sites give security to RWA before starting the construction and RWA makes sure that the owner is not given NOC before they clean up the mess then at least at a local level we can ensure a pollution-free environment. Not only that cleaning up waste material around the site should be time-bound it should not remain there for years till the site is complete because a lot of sites are under construction for years. RWA should check if the owner is following the rules. During rains or heavy winds, these waste materials are blown away to block the drains and make the roads dirty. Is it possible to collect this waste material in a big carton so that it does not spread to other areas? Is it too much to ask people?
