Instead of addressing the issues that really affect the common man in general and our colony in particular, we have an absolutely uncalled-for opening to an outdated affection for neglected monuments.
In the case of the Gumbad, it is held in very high esteem and reused for a prestigious colony’s Resident Welfare Office. Since the inception of Defence Colony and the planning of its infrastructure, it has been the shelter and umbrella for the last sixty-four years and more.
I think we should be asking the authorities why our roads in the colony have not been paved for the last five years, and why the bridge that broke down close to two years ago has still not been repaired. This is a very important bridge, as this bridge connects Nirula Flyover to Thyagaraj Stadium, INA, etc. The president has written umpteen requests but to no avail. This broken bridge hampers the movement of hundreds, if not thousands of commuters, including school buses. Thus our colony is abused with traffic jams. This is a woe we colony residents have to suffer.
In the recent deluge and post that, the flooding of our basements, causing crores worth of damage to equipment and property was mainly due to the lack of desilting of the main drain, which runs through our colony, North to South. The covering of the drain, which was initially a stormwater drain, that has become a sewer, has given us old-timers a reason to smile. The Landscaped Gardens. The rain shelters made the area above the drain, from an eyesore to a haven. That too did not last; the garden is not maintained on a regular basis; it’s not safe to walk after dark as the lights are missing and the flora and fauna need maintenance desperately regularly. When all these woes are rampant and affecting the residents personally, shouldn’t our honorable courts be addressing our problems of living?
The Gumbad being used as an RWA office since the inception of the colony, some six score years ago, is indeed a very good thing. The surroundings are maintained with a lawn, trees, and flowers. The gumbad is our USP our signature. If the RWA is made to move from the Gumbad, it will become a security hazard. Nefarious activities would be taking place along with the parking mafia surrounding the Gumbad.
If the Gumbad is being used to help at least a lakh resident, does this not take precedence over a monument that was raised to commemorate the dead? Every day in the news we keep hearing about the recovery of temples over which mosques were built. We, on the other hand, give Gumbad a special status of being an RWA office. Something to ponder; shouldn’t we encourage the reuse; and recycling by giving a monument this special status of doing welfare to the current citizens of our colony?
