Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena visited Burari here and directed concerned officials to take immediate steps to ensure sanitation and cleanliness in the area.

During his visit, Saxena walked down various stretches in the area densely populated by residential colonies like Sant Nagar, Nathu Pura, Burari village, Baba Colony, Laxmi Vihar, etc. The LG Office said he was shocked at the “lack of basic civic infrastructure and sanitation services that the people are entitled to, in natural course of governance”.

“The LG was informed that, pending since years, only 70 per cent of the areas had been provided with sewage lines till now by DJB, and even in these, connections to households were yet to be done. Similarly, out of the 80 colonies in the area, roads had been constructed only in 17 colonies. Even as the main road from Outer Ring Road leading into the area had come up with showrooms of top brands in the country, the road itself was in a pathetic condition due to neglect and disrepair,” it said.

According to the LG Office, apart from dust-filled streets, choked and overflowing open drains dot the length and breadth of the colonies while garbage is disposed off on the Yamuna floodplain despite the Bhalaswa landfill site being in close proximity to the area.

Even the “restored” water body in the Burari village shown to Saxena was filled with sludge and debris with drains and sewage water flowing into it, it claimed.

“The LG was visibly upset over the state of roads throughout his route, overflowing sewers, heaps of garbage, broken pavements and dividers in the area. He was anguished that such apathy on part of the government agencies had led to pitiable living conditions in one of the most densely populated areas of the city,” the LG Office said.

People of the area complained about encroachment of roads by shopkeepers leading to traffic jams at peak hours and the lack of last mile connectivity and absence of DTC bus routes. “It was apparent that no concrete efforts had been undertaken by the DJB and I&FC Department to address these issues. Similarly, the PWD and MCD had largely left the roads in disrepair, with the civic agency additionally neglecting garbage disposal.”

The LG, who was accompanied by the principal secretary, PWD CEO, a team of the DJB, commissioner, MCD, and other concerned officials, instructed the officers to take immediate steps to ensure sanitation and cleanliness in the area.