Wash your car on the road, pay MCD Rs 100

The logic given by the MCD is that this will help keep the road intact, but the fact is that most of its roads are littered with potholes and uneven levelling, reports Neelam Pandey.

Residents will now soon have to struggle to find a place to wash their vehicles. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to impose a fine of Rs 100 on those found cleaning their vehicles on the road.

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While the logic given by the MCD is that this would help keep the road intact, the ironical fact is that most of its roads are littered with potholes and uneven levelling.

“We are coming up with an awareness campaign to educate Delhiites in maintaining roads by not washing their vehicles on roads. Those who continue to flout the rules will have to pay Rs 100 as fine.

A senior official will inspect these roads on a regular basis to find out what needs repairing,” said Mayor Arti Mehra.

Many roads under the jurisdiction of MCD are still waiting to get repaired. Even those that have been repaired are marred by potholes that result in traffic jams and accidents. The construction material being used by MCD is also of inferior quality, with the roads getting worn out even after brief spells of rain.

Most of the agencies such as Delhi Jal Board (DJB), telecom companies and others dig the roads to lay their pipelines, and most roads are not restored once work is over.

MCD fails to repair these roads, resulting in fatal accidents. “We follow two methods before giving permission for digging the roads –– dig and restore to its original condition or deposit the money for restoration to MCD, then carry out digging. Agencies such as DJB owe us Rs. 36 crore for carrying out road digging,” said Vijendra Gupta, Chairman of MCD’s Standing Committee. The civic body is now planning to spend Rs. 300 crore to strengthen and beautify roads in the Capital.

“A decision was taken in Gurgaon recently wherein those found cleaning cars on the roads will be booked for damaging it. We are watching the Gurgaon model closely and will incorporate such details. We will be coming up with alternative sites in various areas where people will be able to clean their vehicles”, added Gupta.