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Subways in Delhi’s CP battle litter, stench, darkness
HT carried out a spot check at five subways at Sansad Marg, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, KG Marg, Barakhamba and Super Bazaar.
Pedestrian subways across Connaught Place were littered with waste, had pools of stagnant water with mosquitoes breeding in them, some were missing lights, and entry exit gates were shut in some others, HT found during a spot check over multiple visits last week and on Monday.
The spot check carried out at five subways at Sansad Marg, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, KG Marg, Barakhamba and Super Bazaar all located at one of Delhi’s most frequented spots where thousands of pedestrians use these facilities every day.
“This place is so dirty that I would not use it. There are used condoms and food thrown here. The entrance itself is dark and I am not sure if there is any light ahead,” said Anita Gupta, a student who reached the steps of the subway on Baba Kharak Singh Marg, near Palika Bazaar parking, and decided to return and chose to walk across the road.
HT saw many others too going out, soon after entering the subway.
At the Barakhamba Road subway, the entry gates were found locked. One entry gate was open but there was no notice saying the exit gate was shut.
The subway on Kasturba Gandhi Marg was comparatively the cleanest. There was less litter, but stagnant water was seen near two gates in which mosquitoes were breeding.
Mosquito breeding was also seen in the drains inside the subway where the water outlet was not covered.
Also, there were no guards around at any of the subways.
Then, a strong stench of urine hits a user’s nose as soon as they enter these subways. Lack of guards and enforcement leads of several people relieving themselves inside the facilities, rendering them unusable.
The entry to subway at Janpath, located near Super Bazaar, had turned violet from the falling jamuns from a nearby tree, indicating it has not been cleaned in a while. Then, there were a couple of biryani packets that someone threw near the entry or inside, emanating a foul smell.
Ram (goes by a single name), who sells handkerchiefs outside, is a regular subway user. “Nobody uses these subways, except some of us. The women are scared and I hardly see anyone going in. It is always dark and dirty. People prefer walking on the road,” said Ram.
The Sansad Marg subway was locked on Monday and there was no guard or signage to inform when it would reopen. This subway was shut last Thursday as well. A peek through the iron grille gate showed several water puddles inside with drains overflowing.
Another major inconvenience, which kept many pedestrians away from these subways, was that none of the escalators installed there were not found working during visits by HT. Guards and maintenance staff near a petrol station said that the escalators went out of order during heavy rains on July 8 and 9, and have been lying defunct since then.
“During the heavy rain before the floods, the drains overflowed, leading to mechanical glitches. The escalators have not been working since then. Senior officials are trying to get them repaired. The number of pedestrians using these subways has reduced a lot because of non-functioning escalators,” said an official involved in the upkeep of the machines asking not to be named.
However, even when they are functional, the escalators are shut down at 8pm.
An official of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which is responsible for the upkeep of the subways, sai9d there are seven pedestrian subways around Connaught Place of which five are currently operational. The official who asked not to be named said that all subways in Connaught Place were last revamped under the Centre’s Smart Cities mission around 2017-18, and a second major overhaul took place ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
The official added that the first set of subways in the area were first developed in the early 1980s but the escalators have been a recent addition.
Atul Bhargava, president, New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) said that several subways in the Outer Circle “were developed for the Commonwealth Games”. “More subways were planned near Panchkuiyan Road but the traders objected to them due to security issues. If there are any upkeep issues, we will raise them with the concerned authorities,” he said.
An NDMC spokesperson did not comment on the matter despite repeated attempts.
