NGT approval sought to repair GK-II median

The central verge on an arterial road between Greater Kailash-II and Tara Apartments at Alaknanda has remained in a damaged condition for the past few years, following a spate of legal embroilments, and the Delhi government said it plans to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to take up its construction.

The NGT had in 2015 had allowed only two exits on the 3.2km-long verge while taking suo moto cognisance of the matter. Opposing the NGT order, a section of residents and schools, located on the road, had approached the Supreme Court, which stayed the Public Works Department’s project to construct the central verge.

The SC has recently lifted the stay on construction work, said area MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj. The Delhi government now plans to ask the NGT for permission to allow multiple exits on the stretch, as demanded by the residents and schools to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

Bharadwaj said, “We have had meetings with principal secretary of the PWD and resident welfare associations (RWAs). All have agreed on the need for exits at certain locations in the central verge,” Bharadwaj said.

According to a senior PWD official, “The Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) conducted a study, which suggested that 11 exits be allowed on the stretch to facilitate access to various societies and schools across the road. The stay was taken back by the court around two weeks ago. Now, we are requesting the government to approach the NGT for a review of its order.”

He added that the PWD will wait for the green court’s directives before starting the work.

At present, the central verge on the road is broken at a number of places. The central verge near Don Bosco School is broken and used by motorists to take a U-turn. The streetlight pole is broken and cows can be seen sitting in the middle of the road near Alaknanda Apartment bus stop.

“The PWD had constructed the central verge (in 2015) without any cuts, following NGT orders. Since the stretch has several schools and residential societies on either side, locals were agitated by this order. At some of the places, residents had removed parts of the divider for temporary accessibility,” Laveesh Bhandari, a representative of Citizens Alliance, an umbrella body of the RWAs of the region, said.

There are also no streetlights between the Don Bosco School and Nilgiri trisection. “It has become an accident-prone area. People often get hurt while crossing the road due to the unevenness of the verge. We just want a proper divider with access points in between. Is this too much to ask?” Mahesh Juneja, a resident of Nilgiri Apartment said.

Residents now want the PWD and the Delhi government to expedite the process to approach the green tribunal so that the central verge can be constructed with multiple cuts to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

First Published: May 19, 2019 05:41 IST