Recently when a builder was asked to break the ramp of a building which was encroaching on public land, he immediately remarked that there are innumerable encroachments in the same block itself. Why not break them first before going after my building!
In another situation which arose in a meeting with a government representative, no one raised their hand when the legislator asked, how many house owners were ready to get their illegal encroachments broken!
We as a society are getting rusted with every passing day. Neither does anyone want to take responsibility nor does anyone wants to own up to his/her actions. Whether it is the brutal cutting/mowing of trees or dilapidated automobiles in broken condition parked on the road, no one wants to fight for his breathe and no one wants his/her city to be clean. Till my cars have a space to park, till my house is getting electricity/water, till my house is clean, till my sewage vanishes through the pipe (I don’t care where it goes and where it doesn’t), I don’t care about what’s happening next door or on the road outside my house.
What is even alarming is the fact that number of people who would question the system or protest against wrongdoings of the system have gone down drastically. We have a new breed of whatsapp warriors who want to form twitter ids, exchange photographs, show utmost concern but the moment they are pushed to leave the comfort of their homes, they either get hesitant or respond with their extremely busy schedules.
Let us take the examples of Ch Harsukh Marg and Nauroji Nagar Marg. Harsukh Marg pedestrian walk has already been encroached by various street hawkers and permanent structures have come up. The B6 market restaurants have put chairs and tables all over the market covering the public land. Scooters and bikes are parked on the walking stretch outside axis bank, till third wave café. Nauroji Marg is no exception and Rajinder Ka Dhaba continues to allow parking all over the road and the market causing a perennial jam through the year in the evenings on that road.
Some people from the civil society have expressed their concern about these issues but that number is going downwards. This reckless misuse of public land is only making our city unliveable. One wonders what you all are waiting for? Maybe an illegal paan shop to come up opposite your house or a food stall in your stilt parking! Will you wake up after that, I still have my doubts…
by Jeevesh Gupta (9311122210)
