Visitors too responsible for destroying CP

It is not just the civic authorities who should be blamed for the mess that Connaught Place is in, but shoppers and visitors too have done their bit to deface the premier business district of the Capital. HT reports.

It is not just the civic authorities who should be blamed for the mess that Connaught Place is in, but shoppers and visitors too have done their bit to deface the premier business district of the Capital.

Right from staining the corridors with betel juice (paan) to peeing on the walls and throwing garbage on the roads, these visitors must own up to the responsibility of having destroyed the newly refurbished market place.

Also, the green buffer zone created by the civic agency to beautify the area has been destroyed by motorists.

Most of them use this zone to park their vehicles.

“We have requested the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to provide us nearly 10 people who will be responsible for housekeeping. These people will have to ensure that the market is kept clean and tidy at all times. This will go a long way in keeping the restoration work of market intact,” said Atul Bhargava, president of New Delhi Traders’ Association.

Traffic violations too have become a part of the mess that CP has become. Since quite a large part of the market remains dug up, people visiting the area hardly follow any traffic rules. Most of them are seen walking on roads rather than on pavements.

“We are being forced to repaint some of walls in blocks that had been completed and whose façade had been restored. Most of these walls have been defaced with paan-stains. There is also that ever-present stench of urine in some of the sections. People also need to respect the heritage importance of the structure and do their bit,” said a senior NDMC official.

Also, anti-social elements have also become active in many areas, especially in the Outer Circle and inside subways. Many have encroached upon public space and made the area unsafe.