Trials and tribulations of Kalkaji residents

Locality check

Nestling behind the by-lanes of Chittaranjan Park and Greater Kailash-I is the tiny residential area known as the Kalkaji DDA Flats, flanked by a marketing complex known as Alaknanda Market.

With many affordable flats, the area has seen a rise in people taking up residence here in recent times, but that is not all that has risen. The arrival of more people has brought along with it a sizeable burden on the resources which can seem stretched at times. Of the main amenities, water supply is the biggest worry of the inhabitants of the Kalkaji DDA Flats.

“Water is erratic, to say the least, here. Normally, my husband and I leave for work in the morning and do not return before nightfall. Many a night have we stayed awake till 1 or 2 am, leaving the bed at intervals to check whether water has come to the taps or not” said Smita Tulip, a resident of the J- Block.

“Sometimes it comes on time but there have also been instances when not a drop has arrived till 5 or 6 in the morning, which makes things very difficult” she tells Metrolife. The truancy of water can be explained by the improvident usage by many of the dwellers of the area during the hours of the day.

“During the weekends, we have heard and seen a lot of water just flowing out onto the streets after people have filled their tanks. I will not be surprised if this is the case every day.

We are not here to see it but I think it is the most obvious explanation for this” said Debanjan Kundu, who has been living in the area for almost three years now, albeit in different flats. “It is the same story no matter which block one goes to. I really wish people would develop a conscience when they draw their water” he added.

Apart from the ‘water issue’, another important concern is the rise in incidents of thefts and chain snatching that has plagued the residential area and marketplace in the last few months.

While many occupants have complained about seeing shifty individuals staring for hours on end at different houses and even fleeing from the narrow winding staircases that are the nomenclature with all the houses there, Metrolife even witnessed a chain snatching attempt in broad daylight that was foiled by the quick thinking of the locals.

However, with police patrols becoming more regular, especially after sundown and also the barricading of different alleys that feed the main roads, the situation seems to be more or less in control.

The stray dogs of the area can also prove to be a real nuisance to the people, turning vicious with each passing hour of the night. There have been instances where people returning in the wee hours of the night have been chased by the canines of Kalkaji. Also, parking is a perennial problem in and around the Alaknanda marketplace.