South body stumbles on renovation of Def Col market

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation had begun renovations at the Defence Colony market five months ago but has been able to complete only one stretch of a footpath so far.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation had begun renovations at the Defence Colony market five months ago but has been able to complete only one stretch of a footpath so far.

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Rain may delay the construction of footpaths in the rest of the market. “As rain could make the place muddy, we asked the contractor to work on smaller stretches,” said Rajinder Malik, president of the Defence Colony Market Association.

Renovation of the market began in March and was to be completed in four months. But the progress has remained slow because of the trifurcation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the delayed payments to the contractor.

“The pace of work is slow. Even the one stretch of a footpath that was completed needed a lot of effort on our part,” added Malik.

Officials of the civic body, however, said they were trying to hasten work. “We monitor the progress daily but now there is no deadline for the project as it is difficult to foresee what other problems we may face,” said a senior official.

The civic body will be spending R60 lakh on the renovation project that involves construction of footpaths and roads, and levelling of existing footpaths. Streetlights and benches will also be installed.