Choked Vikas Marg to be revamped, beautified

NEW DELHI: From beautification of roads to removing illegal hoardings and reconstructing footpaths, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has chalked out a

NEW DELHI: From beautification of roads to removing illegal hoardings and reconstructing footpaths, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has chalked out a revamp plan for Vikas Marg, the lifeline of east Delhi.

HT Image

Nearly 90,000 vehicles use the 5.8km Vikas Marg every day but the arterial road lacks basic facilities such as public toilets and garbage bins.

“Of the total stretch, approximately 4km falls under the EDMC’s jurisdiction. While we want to focus on developing the entire road, our priority is the stretch from Laxmi Nagar to Karkari More, which faces regular traffic snarls,” said a senior official.

The official said the civic body planned to approach the Delhi government and the public works department (PWD) for suggestions and assistance in developing the road.

Sources said the corporation planned to tackle illegal parking, encroachment on roads, lack of footpaths and the disposal of garbage in the area urgently.

“We will develop footpaths where ever necessary and maintain the existing ones with immediate effect. Also, we will develop the central verge along the route and carry out an extensive plantation drive in coordination with the PWD. To tackle illegal parking, we will hold drives with the help of the traffic police,” said an official.

The corporation hopes that the drive against illegal parking will be major deterrent as the challans can go up to several thousand rupees. The municipal corporations use the weight of the vehicles to calculate the challans for illegal parking.

A three-tonne vehicle can draw a challan of up to R5,000, depending on from where it was towed.

Once the footpaths are completed, the corporation plans to construct public toilets through corporate social responsibility (CSR) and deploy garbage bins at regular intervals to ensure minimum littering.

“Over the years, residential buildings on this stretch have been turned into shops and showrooms. This led to scores of vehicles being parked in the narrow service lanes next to the shops and the road,” said an EDMC official.

He said while the parking on roads led to traffic snarls, multiple intersections and internal roads that merge with Vikas Marg create bottlenecks.

The corporation plans to carry an extensive drive against waste management and illegal advertisements along the road.

“In the coming week, we will hold multiple drives against illegal hoardings and install signages highlighting the dos and don’ts,” said an official.