by Ruma Sikka (9810387873)
Basing their concern on the basis of a recently published report in a leading newspaper regarding Ministry of Housing and Urban affair’s plan about building an elevated road from INA to IGI Airport and then checking from the website of UTTIPEC some senior residents have sent a letter to the ministry to reconsider making this corridor.
President of Munirka Enclave and other residents feel that they would be severely affected due to construction of the elevated road. For last few months they have been trying to get details of this project.
According to the plans posted on the website the road passes perilously close to several colonies and Baba Gangnath temple on Nelson Mandela Marg and Andheria Mod-Mahipalpur road.
The elevated road will carry the traffic of Barapulla road and the new ‘General Pool Residential Accommodation’(GRPA) colonies at Kidwai Nagar, Nauroji Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Mohammedpur, Thyagraj Nagar, Kasturba Nagar, Srinivaspuri & AIIMS Trauma centre in Delhi.
The residents of Munirka Enclave and other colonies like Vasant Kunj have following concerns:
- Delhi is already one of the most polluted cities in the world. The AQI in the area around Nelson Mandela Marg was above 300 even in April’22.This is in ‘very poor’ catagory. The additional construction work would encroach the little green cover we have in the project area. As an example, the accommodation block in east Kidwai Nagar is built in an area where Ram Lila used to be held during Dussehera festival. Now there is a hideous building.
- This will make the pollution much worse. The additional air and noise pollution would be a virtual death sentence for the senior citizens living in the vicinity of the elevated road corridor.
Therefore, Residents of affected area need more precise information to check whether above concerns were considered during the ‘approval’ stage and steps that have been taken to address them. To get information, RTI applications were sent to Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and DDA separately.
Sadly, the response has been very disappointing. The queries were forwarded from Ministry to NBCC to CPWD & State PWD. We have received more than 18 letters in response from various levels of officers. However, most of the letters indicate they have no information with regard to our queries. However, we did get some information in one letter and the response is worrying. We quote below briefly the queries for ready reference:
There are news paper reports that Ministry of Highways plans to build an underground tunnel road from Vasant Kunj to IGI Airport. This option is proposed since the route via Mahipalpur is thickly populated! If the tunnel road is being built then logically there should be no need for the proposed elevated road beyond Vasant Kunj. By similar logic, underground road should also be considered along other residential areas on the route of elevated road.
We would also like to share with you that many residents of Munirka Enclave, Munirka Vihar, Vasant Kunj, Hill View apartments are deeply anguished and angered by the way such major projects are proposed and approved. There was no consultation with the stakeholders living along the ROW! As if we just don’t exist!
