‘More cuts on divider needed’

NEW DELHI: Residents of Greater Kailash-II are demanding that multiple cuts be done on the divider on Alaknanda road at the earliest as the apex court has lifted the stay on a PWD project to construct the central verge.
GK-II and Alaknanda residents are demanding more cuts on the divider for hassle-free movement. Notably, three schools along with four Residents’ Welfare Association had filed a petition in the apex court for construction of a median strip. “The file is with the Law Department right now. We will move the NGT within a week, once the lawyer is finalised. As the Greater Kailash representative, it is my duty to hear the view of the people. I took up the issue at the government level,” AAP legislator Saurabh Bharadwaj told The Morning Standard. 

The 3.2-km divider remains in a damaged state for five years now. In 2015, the NGT had allowed only two exits on the divider, both sides of which has about eight-nine apartments along with two schools — Don Bosco School and St. George School. Right outside Don Bosco, stones lay in a haphazard manner on the verge. Cows rest on the divider, making it dangerous for commuters. 
Legal embroilment
The divider is a bone of contention between the RWAs and the NGT ever since the green panel took suo moto cognizance of the matter. Citizens’ Alliance had approached the apex court, which about two-week ago cleared the NGT’s stay on the PWD work. 

“We formed a consensus following which we approached the Supreme Court.  While the apex court has lifted the stay, we are left in lurch due to the NGT order. As the PWD stopped work, school children and elderly are not able to cross the roads,” Citizens’ Alliance president Laveesh Bhandari said.  
The PWD is waiting to start work on the divider, which it had constructed in 2015 without any cut as directed by the NGT and then stopped midway. It had roped in the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) for recommendations on cuts. “The CRRI has submitted its report and recommended some cuts. It is an expert body, which means our demands are legit. It is the NGT, which has to lift the stay,” Bharadwaj added. 

Congestion
Due to the unending divider through Savitri Apartments and GK II, vehicles have to take a U-turn at Chirag Delhi. “If I have to come from Savitri Apartments to Masjid More and have to take a U-turn, I need to go all the way till Chirag Delhi. It is an inconvenience for daily commuters,” said Santosh, a Bakery owner at Alaknanda market. 

Bharadwaj pointed at the vulnerability of accidents by making a single U Turn for the entire traffic. “If there are no spaces, you are basically diverting the whole traffic to a single U-turn. It will not only lead to more congestion and make the road accident-prone. About 30,000 local people are bearing the brunt,” the GK MLA added.