NEW DELHI: A stretch of open drain that had turned a key Shaheen Bagh road into an open sewer is finally set to be covered, with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) sanctioning Rs 4 crore for the project. TOI had first highlighted the civic hazard earlier this year.The project will cover the drain from Jamia Nagar police station to Shaheen Bagh police station, said local councillor Ariba Khan on a social media post.The development follows a chain of events that began with TOI‘s Jan 6 report, ‘Swimming to Shaheen Bagh: Key Okhla road turns into open sewer’, documenting metres of stagnant sewage on a crucial road connecting Okhla and Shaheen Bagh. Residents reported vehicles breaking down, e-rickshaws falling into open drains and pedestrians, including children, struggling to cross the stretch.The report subsequently prompted suo motu intervention by Delhi High Court. A division bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, in its Jan order, had said: “An open sewer can be a safety and security hazard and also a health hazard for the residents.” The court then directed Delhi Jal Board to “immediately inspect this area over the next few days”, identify the cause of the leakage and ensure that any sewer-line or water-pipe leakage was fixed without delay. It also asked DJB to coordinate with MCD and PWD, if required.
