Yamuna floods subway

NEW DELHI: A subway next to the Delhi Secretariat has been flooded with water from the Yamuna. The pools of stagnant water have not only rendered the subway unusable but also converted it into a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The subway was built at a cost of about Rs 2 crore. At a time when urban infrastructure is being planned in the city before the 2010 Commonwealth Games, this subway stands out as a classic example of how public funds are wasted.
The subway is built under a slip road used by vehicles going left from the Ring Road towards ITO Bridge.One end is buried under a flyover arm, which was built recently, and the other end falls inside the fenced boundary of the Secretariat-Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium lake complex.
‘‘The subway is a classic example of poor engineering and wastage of public money. There can be no excuse for water stagnating in a public utility like a subway,’’ said S M Sarin, former chief of road traffic safety department of Central Road and Research Institute.
‘‘Even after water entered the subway, an effort should have been made to restore its public utility,’’ he said.
According to an official from the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium administration, the subway was maintained by the public works department of Delhi government. ‘‘We have nothing to do with the subway’s maintenance. It has been in bad shape for long and it is even difficult to recall when it was used last,’’ said the official. Delhi urban development minister, A K Walia, was even unaware of the subway’s existence. ‘‘I will have to look into why the subway is not being used,’’ he said.
A PWD engineer said it was difficult to say anything about the reason for collection of water in the subway. ‘‘The water may have seeped into the subway as it is built on the banks of the Yamuna,’’ he said.
Walia said the government had realised the need to go slow on subways as public response was not good. ‘‘A committee will now ensure subway sites are carefully selected for maximum utilisation,’’ he said.