Bad road relaid almost overnight in Kailash Colony

This year, municipal elections have helped achieve an unlikely feat. For months, residents of south Delhi’s Kailash Colony had been doing the rounds of MCD offices to get their colony road relaid. Neelam Pandey reports.

This year, municipal elections have helped achieve an unlikely feat. For months, residents of south Delhi’s Kailash Colony had been doing the rounds of MCD offices to get their colony road relaid.

But on Sunday, they woke up to a pleasant sight. The road had been recarpeted overnight in several blocks. Work in east of Kailash and Greater Kailash was on.

While residents claimed the roads had been relaid keeping the polls in mind, VK Malhotra, MLA from south Delhi constituency, said the construction work simply coincided with the municipal elections.

“The funds have been raised from Rs 2 crore to Rs 4 crore. So I decided to utilise them by carrying out development works. The orders had been given two months ago but the work began on Sunday and has coincided with the elections,” said Malhotra. He is funding the project from this his MLA local area development scheme.

However, residents claim that the construction proves the fact that if the MCD wants, it can repair roads within days but it still takes months to complete such projects.

“The fact that the work was done overnight affirms the fact that they have the expertise to do the job but not the will. Elections should take place every year so that we don’t have to run around to get our work done,” said Rajiv Kakaria, member of Greater Kailash I resident welfare association.

The civic agency’s engineering department has been facing the public’s ire for not filling up potholes or repairing colony roads.

According to sources, the councillor of this area is from the BJP and hence, the development work being carried out by Malhotra will benefit him in the municipal polls to be held on April 15.