As all Def col residents have been facing various issues due to the incomplete and unplanned project to cover Kushak Nallaha which is situated in the middle of the colony, we at Samvada took an initiative to interact with the ex. Councilor to get an insight. The following are the details of this most important matter related to the residents of Defence Colony:
Ajay Kumar: What are the real issues related to the Central Nallaha?
Abhishek Dutt: The project to cover the smelling drain of Defence Colony to build a park over it was started in 2014 and was completed 80-85% in 2-3 years by DDA. As the project was served half-cooked to the residents by the DDA, there were many areas which were left open for many years. The water treatment plant, cleaning procedures, plantations, lights, exhaust pipes were not completed which resulted in various issues troubling the residents every day. The nallaha is completely choked and has become a nightmare for the residents during the monsoon. The poisonous fumes from underneath the nallaha are health hazard for the people living near it. These fumes are not only hazardous for the humans but also the home appliances like AC, water motors, etc. as even the copper coils and pipes are getting damaged every year and the residents are wasting their precious money on repairs. There are many residents who even shifted to other blocks or even other colonies due to this polluting nallaha.
Ajay Kumar: Why is the nallaha project not yet completed and what’s the status on that?
Abhishek Dutt: In 2020, this nallaha was handed over to the MCD by DDA for day-to-day maintenance but as usual, the passing of buck syndrome has created a bigger mess for the colony. There is no silting done in the last 3-4 years by either the DDA or MCD which created the biggest issue on June 26 when it rained heavily and the entire colony was flooded with all the sewers chocked and water was filled in more than 300 basements and houses. We filed 20-22 RTI’s with DDA and MCD but no reply or action was taken by any authorities till date. We then requested our Ex. MP Ajay Maken who referred us to senior DDA and MCD officers who then visited the colony for a survey. There are three entry points to nallaha to clear the garbage and silting but never used by these authorities who keep blaming each other. I then contacted our respectable resident Senior Lawyers Siddhartha Luthra and Kunal Vajani who filed a case in the High court to get this issue resolved on top priority. Now the court has asked the NGT to submit the status report on August 12 with all the details of the progress work done till date. We have also requested for a permanent solution to these alarming issues which are troubling so many residents of the colony.
Ajay Kumar: Why are you taking this initiative?
Abhishek Dutt: I am associated with Defence Colony and its respected residents for the last 45 years. I have worked all over the colony for five years as councilor and added and upgraded many facilities. During my tenure, I used to get regular desilting done for the nallaha and rainwater drains in front of each house to ensure there is no flooding in the colony.
We are grateful to Abhishek Dutt for taking this much- needed initiative for Defence Colony and get the central Nallaha cleaning process started by using his personal contacts and relations. We all can see large MCD machines and staff working on this project after the court order and we expect to get the entire stretch cleared for long time. We have also requested the MCD to create a special team which will ensure regular cleaning of this nallaha to keep our residents safe and happy forever.
