Court pulls up MCD, PWD for not mending roads

Reacting to court summons to a Delhi government joint secretary to explain who is the final authority for upkeep of city roads, both MCD and PWD on Friday vowed to repair some roads in Kashmere Gate area within a month.

Undertaking

The two civic agencies gave an undertaking to senior civil judge Ajay Goel to make the road motorable within a month, even as the joint secretary, summoned by the court earlier, failed to appear before it on Friday.

With the two civic agencies vowing to mend the road within a month, the judge ordered, “The work on the portion of the road be started immediately.”

The court had issued summons to the joint secretary on a complaint filed by Central Delhi resident Bhagwan Singh Rathore against the Delhi lieutenant governor and its public works department for their alleged failure to ensure proper roads in his immediate neighbourhood.

The court had summoned the high-ranking official after its earlier notice to the Public Works Department went unnoticed, fetching no reply from any one from any department, each of whom kept it shuttling among them.

Municipal Corporation of Delhi superintendent engineer undertook to repair the portion of road from DCM Chowk to Barafkhana, as it fell under the MCD's jurisdiction. 

PWD senior officials also undertook to make the part of road from Tis Hazari to Ring Road and from Ram Nath Marg to Faiz Road motorable within a month.

Rathore had complained to the court that a main road starting from Budh Jayanti Park (Vandemataram Marg) up to Inter State Bus Terminus, Kashmere Gate is not only badly damaged but is also in bad, rough and shabby condition with multiple potholes. 

The stretch has been in the deplorable condition for over a year now.  

He had also sought court's direction to the relevant authorities to pay him a compensation of Rs 20,000 for damages suffered by his car while negotiating that stretch of road.