No streetlights, vacant buildings make it unsafe

NEW DELHI: When it was built, it was projected as the ultimate destination for a comfortable and secure living. What Dwarka has instead become is the most crime-prone area in Delhi according to the latest Delhi Police figures. And if cops and residents are to be believed lack of streetlights is the primary impediment to law and order in Asia���s largest residential colony.
Sunday���s incident of a Navbharat Times employee being stabbed and robbed near a metro station in Dwarka is yet another indicator of how unsafe the area is.
���Many buildings and houses in Dwarka are unoccupied. Streetlighting in such areas is almost non-existent. We have asked the civic authorities to put up more street lights. We have allotted 55 more people for picketing and motorcycle patrolling between Dwarka and Palam (Sectors 1-5 are under the jurisdiction of Palam) police stations. Vehicles are also checked,��� said DCP southwest, K Jagdishan.
He added that empty roads and the lack of illumination provide ideal conditions for criminals to make quick getaways. There is also an income disparity because of unauthorised colonies coexisting with posh housing societies and this fuels crime in the area.
���Areas around metro stations like sector 14 are particularly crime prone because of this. We have been receiving calls from women who return home late about harassment. We have now started constant patrolling. The parking problem is also acute causing carjackings and thefts from cars. We have written to PWD to improve the parking arrangements,������ Jagdishan added.
Residents agree that walking through the poorly-lit secluded parts of the colony is a scary proposition. ���It becomes impossible to walk through these patches after sunset. One keeps hearing about robberies and injuries inflicted to people when they resist. Even travelling in a cycle-rickshaw in such places is not safe,������ said AP Nayar, a resident of sector 6.
While cops say they are doing enough, residents feel a lot more needs to be done. ���There are too many wine shops in the area. It becomes difficult for people to even take a stroll in the evening without being harassed by some drunken person. The market associations, surprisingly, refuse to take note of this alarming situation,��� said Capt CB Dikshit, a former army officer.
Many other residents said that there is no reliable and fast public transport system due to which people are forced to travel in rickshaws even late at night and thus, put themselves in a vulnerable situation.
Jagdishan said, ���We have taken note of the transport problem and have written to the authorities about that too.������