Parallel governance: Private services mushroom, construction unabated

NEW DELHI: Even as the electrician tries to find the fault in a knot of wires atop a pole, the builder kick-starts the diesel generator to ensure the cement mixer doesn’t come to a halt and hit the construction of his five-storey building in F Block. All around in Abul Fazal Enclave, similar activities continue, unmindful of the Supreme Court orders to stop all construction work in unauthorised colonies, such as this one in southeast Delhi.

Rahatullah, who has seen the place burgeon into a crowded locality in 25 years of living there, testified that construction is booming. “The colony is located between Noida and the rest of Delhi, so there is good demand from the office-going crowd for houses to purchase or to rent,” the 57-year-old said. “Compared with other nearby residential areas, the rates at Abul Fazal Enclave are cheaper since it is an unauthorised colony.” He said that a 3-bedroom apartment here cost around Rs 35 lakh against up to Rs 1 crore in Sukhdev Vihar, a few kilometres away.

A property dealer disclosed that the real construction boom came after news around five years ago that the colony was set to be regularised. The approval never came, but the builders made the most of it, creating a small town of illegal multi-storey apartment buildings.

A private system has taken over civic services in the colony where the South Delhi Municipal Corporation offers none. Illegal bore wells were sunk and a clique controls the supply of water through tankers. Parking for vehicles is provided either in the basement or on the ground floor of the buildings. The absence of government agencies has created opportunities for private business in garbage disposal.

“The basement parking becomes unusable when it starts raining,” said Mohammad Umar, who runs a tailoring shop in F Block. He recalled shifting to another shop due to incessant water logging because the area has no sewerage. The drains along the lanes were constructed by the residents, but there’s a backflow on to the streets every time the main drains get choked. “We have to shell out from our own pocket to get the drains unclogged,” added Shabbir, who lives in Phase I.

A heap of pipes lies forgotten by the roadside. Residents said these had been brought there soon after the regularisation rumour, perhaps for water supply. Abul Fazal Enclave has waited for six years, and will presumably wait some more.