NEW DELHI: Construction of Delhi Metro’s Golden Line, which will connect Tughlaqabad to Aerocity, has transformed a significant stretch of the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road into a dustbowl. Piled-up mounds of earth left uncovered and a badly eroded road surface, which rarely mar Metro projects, have made travelling on this stretch a bumpy and bitter experience.
The ordeal for commuters begins as soon as they cross over from the traffic signal near Batra Hospital and head towards the shooting range with the ramparts of the monkey-infested Tughlaqabad Fort on one side. Randomly placed barricades, dirty and battered, do fence off the earth excavated on the right side, next to the divider, but no attempt has been made to cover them or sprinkle water on them. As a result, a haze hangs over the road except on days when it rains. That turns the entire stretch into a slushy mess.
On the left is a yard which has big mounds of earth spilling out, adding to the decrepit state of this potholed road. The road width has got reduced because of barricades and there are bottlenecks to negotiate. The traffic slows down. The situation gets aggravated because of the potholes and often stray cattle come in the way.
It is mandatory for all agencies involved in construction and demolition activities to cover the construction material and debris and Delhi Metro has often been held up as a shining example of doing it the right way. But things seem to have gone for a toss on this stretch.
The situation in the other carriageway is no different and at least two lanes are virtually not available because of the state of the road surface.
Delhi High Court had praised Delhi Metro’s manner of working in Jan last year, asking Dehi govt’s public works department to follow the former’s protocol for digging of roads. Earlier, too, DMRC has earned high praise for the way it implements projects, causing minimum inconvenience to road users by laying down roads which are used to divert traffic and deploying marshals on such stretches. That’s not the case here.
The road is an important link for people going to Faridabad and Sohna, including Charmwood Village, and leads to the shooting range and Asola sanctuary besides other important establishments. It’s also a link to the Badarpur border.
Commuters complain that driving on this road has become an ordeal. Prabhat Vishwakarma, who travels from Badarpur to Saket and Malviya Nagar daily on this stretch, said: “Due to the construction work undertaken by Delhi Metro, the road has become narrow and traffic snarls have become a routine affair. The road is broken. It has become difficult to drive on this road during peak hours and the condition has remained terrible for the past few months.”
Another commuter, Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Sangam Vihar, said traffic moves on the road very slowly. “The entire area is waterlogged during rain, severely impacting traffic movement here. In such conditions, it takes an inordinately long time to cover the 1km stretch.”
Some commuters are now using masks to protect them from the dust. Taranveer Singh, who had covered his face with a handkerchief, said, “The road has been shrouded in a dusty haze and it becomes difficult to breathe. I regret that I am not carrying my sunglasses to protect me.”
A student, Himanshu Prajapati, said agencies do not follow an SOP when they undertake construction work, causing inconvenience to people. Sadly, Delhi Metro has been an exception and needs to address the issues here.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, Location Guesser and Mini Crossword.
Start a Conversation
Post comment