PWD minister Manish Sisodia had recently conducted a surprise checkNEW DELHI: Acting on a petition filed by traders, Delhi High Court has directed the chief nodal officer of the redeveloped Chandni Chowk stretch to rectify all problems within the next eight weeks. The principal secretary of Public Works Department, H Rajesh Prasad, is the chief nodal officer as the revamp was carried out by the department. Earlier, PWD minister Manish Sisodia had conducted a surprise inspection of the stretch inaugurated last year and found many lapses. The court order issued on August 23 said, “By way of last indulgence, eight weeks’ time is granted to the chief nodal officer to ensure compliance of the defects noticed by him as well as compliance of the inspection report dated July 18, 2022. The inspection note reflects that there are no boom barriers installed at street junctions, CCTV cameras are yet to be set up and a large number of deficiencies have been pointed out by the chief nodal officer himself.” The revamped 1.4km stretch from Red Fort to Fatehpuri mosque was inaugurated in September 2021. However, things soon started deteriorating and traders complained about lack of maintenance of the facade and other street elements. After Sisodia’s visit, Prasad also inspected the area and found serious violations regarding traffic management, cleanliness of toilets, garbage piled up for several days and missing traffic police personnel. “Despite the aforesaid, till date, no boom barriers have been installed at street junctions and the control of CCTV cameras have not been handed over to Delhi Traffic Police, which makes it impossible to challan vehicles entering the no-traffic zone during restricted hours (9am to 9pm). It has also been pointed out that loading and unloading activities are taking place during the restricted hours,” the court order said. The court has asked Prasad to be present in person on the next date of hearing. “We hope a meeting of all the nodal officers is immediately called and the project is completed in a time-bound manner as directed by the high court,” said Sanjay Bhargava, president, Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, one of the petitioners in the matter. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebookTwitterInstagramKOO APPYOUTUBE
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhi-8-weeks-to-clear-mess-at-chandni-chowk/articleshow/93841873.cms
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