Lengthy wait on road to revamp for these residents in northwest Delhi

New Delhi: Agar Nagar locality in Prem Nagar, which falls in the Kirari assembly constituency, is a telling picture of underdevelopment. It is densely populated with most dwellings measuring 20-30 square yards, lanes just 10-15 feet wide and ground floors located 3-6 feet below road level and so highly vulnerable to waterlogging in the absence of proper drains and sewers. A vast DDA ground of approximately 500 acres is like a lake, being almost always inundated. It was in Prem Nagar that a child drowned in a waterlogged house basement in July 2023.

Despite improvements, there still are a lot of problems left unaddressed, not only in Prem Nagar but in Kirari village, Mubarakpur Dabas village, Nithari village, and Kirari Suleman Nagar in Prem Nagar III), which are plagued by overflowing drains, encroachments and traffic congestion. Inder Enclave and Pratap Vihar are only marginally better off.

The Kirari assembly constituency in northwest Delhi encompasses three villages and 106 unauthorised colonies. There are around 1.5 lakh households with a voting population of 3.2lakh and a big Poorvanchali presence.

Vipin Sharma of Agar Nagar said, "The majority of colonies in Kirari have come up on low-lying agricultural land belonging to Jats. The unauthorised colonies have flourished here because people like us who can't afford costly accommodation in the city settled here." Sharma said former MLA Anil Jha (he won as a BJP candidate in 2008 and 2013 and is an AAP nominee for the seat for the Feb 5 elections) who began work on water supply, electricity and ration cards and the opening of an anganwadi and dispensary. "It was in his tenure that work on raising the level of the area to end waterlogging in houses started. The sewer lines, however, weren't laid."

AAP's Rituraj Govind won the polls in 2015 and 2020. "Some new works were initiated then," said Sharma. "But to date, many roads remain to be made pucca." Pramod Kumar too expressed frustration at what he called the slow pace of development. "No ambulance, taxi or other transport vehicles accept bookings to reach our home," he complained. "Only sections of the lanes have been carpeted till now."

The main Mubarakpur road faces severe congestion due to unplanned commercial growth, insufficient parking and encroachments by shops. Although the road was widened in 2013, it failed to resolve problems due to lack of area assessment and topographical studies, according to residents.

Rakesh Sharma was so frustrated by the jammed roads that he rented out the house he built in Mithila Vihar in 2009 and shifted to Rohini Sector 5 in 2017. "I was working in Noida and there were times when I was stuck on the road for two-three hours. That situation hasn't changed," he said. An alternative route to Rohini through Sukhi Nahar was provided during Jha's tenure and despite being a longer route, people used it to save time. But nowadays, the road is damaged in places and lacks maintenance."

Some residents blamed DDA for not cooperating with Delhi govt in improving the drainage infrastructure. At present, the Kirari Suleman Nagar drain serves as the sole stormwater channel in Kirari, which is altogether inadequate for the area's requirements. In Feb last year, the lieutenant governor instructed DDA to hasten the construction of a 7.2m drain to permanently solve the problem of waterlogging at Prem Nagar III. But the locals report no visible progress.

Anuj Gupta of Kirari Suleman Nagar claimed, "Directions were given to remodel the Suleman Nagar drain and other along the Rohtak Road to solve the waterlogging problem, but we haven't seen any work being done." AAP did not respond to TOI's questions about the constituency.