Makeover time for over 100 road points in city

Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition, 21.01.2013

Unsafe at any hour in big, bad city

Women Tell TOI Their Moments Of Horror When Predators Almost Got Them

Prerna Sodhi TNN

SCARY REALITY: Women say they are regular victims of gender bias and sexual harassment

New Delhi: Two years ago, a 25-year-old got off the Metro at Central Secretariat to hire an auto to Netaji Nagar. What happened after she left the Metro station made her decide she will never step out of her home alone again after 9pm.
“It was 8.30pm. I got off the train at Central Secretariat by mistake. I wanted to catch an auto to Netaji Nagar. While I was waiting for the auto, five men started harassing me. I tried walking away quickly but they ripped my sleeve. I boarded the nearest auto and paid him extra to drive me home,” said the woman who works for an online portal. What saved her from worse was an oncoming ambulance which the harassers mistook for a police van and left hurriedly.
Her predicament is not unique. TOI spoke to a few women in the capital who said they felt unsafe whenever they stepped out and whatever mode of transport they took.
Most faced gender and sexual harassment on a regular basis, be it in the form of stalking, eve-teasing or even chasing by a group of predatory men on wheels. Many of these instances took place in broad daylight and being in a crowded place never ensured security. For example, a 24-year-old freelance writer recalled an attempt to pick her up about 1.30pm on a busy road. “I was crossing the road at Moolchand flyover. A car braked in front of me. It had two men in it. Instead of walking ahead of the vehicle, I passed by its side and crossed the road from behind it. A few car drivers stopped. They were curious to find out what the hold-up was about. But no one protested,” she said.
Her observation of silence in the face of atrocity is corroborated by a 23-year-old management student.
“No one wants to help or get involved. When we tried asking staff at a toll booth, we got complacent responses. Ya h a n c h ale ja o , w a h a n c h ale ja o (Check out this place, try this other place). Instead of looking for help I’d rather use my own wits. Help does not arrive on time and the people around end up as onlookers,” she said.
She recounted how she and her three friends were chased by a Scorpio full of men on Delhi-Gurgaon road on their way to a wedding. When no one helped them, they “decided to take a u-turn and go home”.
A study conducted by Jagori and United Nations Women in the year 2010 reveals 54% women and 69% men who witness an incident of women’s harassment prefer to stay uninvolved. It also states that 70% of women are harassed by the roadside, 50% inside public transport and 42% while waiting for transport.
Another management professional, a 27-year-old, said she uses office transport in the evening in a bid to “avoid autos”. “Although I have never faced misbehaviour aboard public transport, I’ve heard of my friends falling victims to untoward happenings,” she said.
For a 21-year-old fashion student, it is not once that her bus-stop wait turned ugly. “What is frustrating is that verbal protests are often interpreted as more encouragement,” she said.
(Names have been withheld on request)

Small markets to be rebuilt into shopping centres

NEW DELHI: Around 38 small decrepit markets located in areas such as Paharganj, Karol Bagh, Azad Market and Roshanara Road may get a makeover with the North Delhi Municipal Corporation planning to build shopping complexes in their places. Some of these markets were transferred to the unified MCD in 2006 from the Land and Development Office (L&DO) and the Directorate of Estates of the Union government. The corporation was supposed to redevelop these markets.

“We have passed the proposal to redevelop the markets but are yet to work out the models and designs for the shops. The complexes will greatly benefit markets and shopkeepers who are not being able to maintain them at present. Many of these markets are crumbling and need immediate attention,” said Mahender Nagpal, leader of the House.

Civic body officials said that building shopping complexes would fulfil two purposes: it would give a better earning capacity to the existing shopkeepers who would be given shops in new buildings and secondly, the space would be utilised.

“Many new shops that will be created will give opportunities to others also. There will be a basement parking in each of the new buildings,” said a senior official.

The 38 markets under consideration are situated in areas such as Paharganj, Karol Bagh, Azad Market, Roshanara Road, Patel Nagar, Old and New Rajendra Nagar, Rani Jhansi Market, Desbandhu Gupta Market and Ramesh Nagar.

Source: Hindustan Times  (11 Dec, 2012) 

Vendors occupy pavements, shoppers forced onto roads

The corporation is likely to approve a policy for street vendors soon

New Delhi: In Karol Bagh market, shoppers walk on roads as street vendors have taken over the pavements. While the vendors claim they are licensed to operate, North Delhi Municipal Corporation says it has issued t e h b a z a a r i s to only 340 people and the rest are operating illegally. 
    Traders say the number of street vendors has increased manifold over the years due to lax enforcement. “Street vendors outnumber the shopkeepers here. It has not only affected out business but also left no space to walk,’’ said Murli Mani, president of Karol Bagh Traders’ Association. 
    Sources say there are 1,000-1,200 t e h b a z a a r i sin this area. And the corporation is yet to draft a policy to regulate street vendors. The vendors’ association, however, claims all the t e h b a z a a r i s are authorized. “Some of us have t e hb a z a a r i licences while the others have applied for them. The corporation has been sitting on this issue for years now,’’ said Devendra Kohli, a street vendor and member of the vendors’ association. 
    The erstwhile MCD had identified 1.3 lakh street vendors and agreed to allot vending sites to them, but the process has not started. Arbind Singh, national coordinator, National Association of Street Vendors of India, said, “There are 1,000-1,200 street vendors in Karol Bagh market where seven roads have been declared hawking zones. But the space for hawkers has been encroached upon by the parking mafia. At some points, the corporation has given out space for parking. What option do the vendors have but to sit on pavements?” 
    Mahinder Nagpal, leader of the house, North Corporation, said, “We have drafted a policy for street vendors and will soon approve it. We will identify new sites for them”. 
    While the corporation claims that a new policy is in place, vendors say they don’t want to move out. “The corporation had allotted new sites to some of us, but these were not in the market area. How will we earn our livelihood if we are removed from the market?’’ said Kohli.

Source: TOI (11 Dec, 2012)

Soon, audit cell for road projects

NEW DELHI: The problems of potholes on newly constructed roads or entire stretches caving in after rains will soon be addressed. A proposal for setting up an audit cell to check the planning, safety and quality norms in all major infrastructure projects has been given a green signal by the LG's office. The composition of the audit cell is under process, said sources.

"The composition of the audit cell is going to be formalised soon. It will consist of members from institutes such as CRRI, IIT, NCBM (National Council of Building Materials), DTU and others as well as Jagori (for women safety audit)," said a senior official. The proposal will apply to all future projects that come to Unified Traffic and Transportation, Planning and Engineering, Centre (UTTIPEC) for approval.

The audit will consist of two parts: a planning and safety audit of the project that will be taken up before the execution of the project; and an audit of the quality or site check, which will be based on "critical engineering aspects" and will be carried out when the progress of the work is 25-50% and 80% complete. The quality of material such as bitumen, aggregate etc will be checked by taking samples from the site, says the proposal, which gives a check-list of tests that can be carried out. The quality audit team will be empanelled, said the official.

UTTIPEC is also finalising the terms of reference or scope of study which includes submission of detailed design and drawings of the approved plans to facilitate planning and engineering audit during the execution stage, explained sources. "The audit will create a template of design and implementation for all infrastructure projects in Delhi. At present, while third party audits are carried out by the civic agency, there is no basic minimum standard that is maintained across all projects," said the official. These audits will be separate from the third party audit carried out by the agencies. The basis of the two audits will be the street design guidelines as set by UTTIPEC. For the quality audit, the guidelines are the IRC/BIS specifications, added the official.

That current road development and other infrastructure projects require more planning is evident from the independent audits carried out by NGOs. Last month, a joint study by NGOs and an international university found several points of lacunae in the pedestrian and traffic movement plan of Nehru Place. From lack of a designated system for pedestrians to traffic eating into footpaths, the study had showed the lack of safety and planning in the busy commercial hub.

Source: The Times of India, Delhi Edition, 02.11.2012

Source: The Indian Express, Delhi Edition, 02.11.2012

City’s Footpaths Too High to be Used, Violate All Norms

A giant step backwards

CITY’S FOOTPATHS TOO HIGH TO BE USED, VIOLATE ALL NORMS

Indrani Basu TNN

New Delhi:Imagine having to raise your legs up to a feet or more to take a footpath. If the state public works department (PWD) has its way, walking on the pavement in Delhi may become quite a task, thanks to mindless construction by the public works department. And no, there is no way anyone can be penalized for the faulty construction.

In a gross violation of the street design guidelines, the PWD is constructing 19-inch high footpaths in Kirti Nagar. The norm is of six inches. When a TOI team visited the area, it found that the agency had built most of the footpaths along Satguru Ram Singh Marg at this height without placing any slanting kerb ramps for easy access. Also, wherever there were ramps, those were too steep. In some areas, as many as three steps had to be constructed to provide access to a footpath.
As per street design guidelines issued by DDA planning body UTTIPEC in 2010, height of a footpath cannot exceed six inches; the footpaths must have a ramp of the slope 1:12 and must have tactile paving both at the beginning and along the footpath.

When TOI spoke to engineers in charge of the construction on the stretch, they shifted the blame on the area municipal commission of Delhi (MCD). “These roads were earlier with MCD . The MCD had constructed high drains on this road, and the footpaths have to be built on top of that. As a result, the footpath is high,” said an engineer.

“However, we will also be relaying the road, which will add four inches to the current height of the road,” assured the engineer. However, UTTIPEC guidelines state that in case a road will be re-carpeted after a footpath is built, reduction in footpath height till 100 mm (four inches) is permitted, but under no circumstances should a footpath be higher than 150 mm (six inches).

TOI found that none of these footpaths have tactile paving (yellow footpath tiles that act as warning and guiding blocks for the visually impaired), and access ramps are either missing, too steep or replaced with steps that cannot be used by those on wheelchairs. “All UTTIPEC street design guidelines have to be followed for all new construction. Engineers are well aware of this as we have had numerous meetings on this under the chairmanship of L-G Tejendra Khanna,” said UTTIPEC director Ashok Bhattacharjee.
However, a senior official said, “Forget UTTIPEC guidelines, even basic IRC guidelines are not being followed. The footpath being constructed in Kirti Nagar is just one of the glaring examples of public road structures that serve no actual purpose and have resulted in wastage of large amount of public money.” While UTTIPEC has brought this matter to the notice of the L-G in a written complaint, there is currently no penalization provision in place to punish the road owning agencies.

Source: Times of India

Workshop with EDMC officials on Street Design Guidelines.

-Published in Hindustan Times

Focus on public transport: Govt body issues guidelines for seamless travel

Sobhana K : New Delhi, Sun Mar 20 2011

Pilot project ordered for Jor Bagh-Aurobindo Place Market stretch; to be implemented on all Metro routes.
More signlised pedestrian crossings, lesser distance between bus stands, auto stands and Metro stations — these are a few key measures that the Delhi Development Authority’s planning body, Unified Traffic Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre, has directed civic agencies and Traffic Police to carry out for ensuring higher usage of public transport.

The guidelines issued by the body will have to be implemented on all Metro routes. The pilot project is being implemented on the stretch between Jor Bagh and Aurobindo Place Market. There are four Metro stations of the Jahangirpuri-HUDA City Centre corridor that fall on the way — Jor Bagh, INA, AIIMS and Green Park.

The body has pointed out a series of problems faced by commuters on this particular stretch through a detailed plan. For example, despite a high flow of pedestrian traffic at the Dilli Haat-INA crossing, no provision exists for their convenience.

At AIIMS, traffic bottlenecks are a regular feature due to the fact that there is no fixed bus stand and the buses stop anywhere on the main road. Further on, at the Green Park Metro station, there is no bus stand for at least 500 metres. The footpath in front of a petrol pump at Padmini Enclave serves as a makeshift bus stand.

The UTTIPEC has directed all civic agencies to shift the bus stands within 50 metres of the Metro station. Signalised pedestrian crossings have been suggested at four points — Dilli Haat-INA market, AIIMS, Yusuf Sarai Market and Gurudwara Green Park.

“Aurobindo Marg is not a Ring Road or an expressway — there are markets on both sides of the road and two major hospitals; there is a heavy flow of pedestrians due to these reasons. Foot-overbridges have very low usage, so pedestrian crossings are essential,” said Prem Nath, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic (South).

The UTTIPEC has also told the agencies to put in place additional measures like making the entire stretch pedestrian-friendly by correcting flaws like the alignment of the Ch Dalip Singh Marg intersection.

“The road leading to Safdarjung Development Area is not properly aligned with the intersection, leading to an increased chance of vehicle-to-vehicle collision. We are currently working on a viable plan to correct the alignment,” Prem Nath added.

The project will be implemented by the New Delhi Municipal Council and the Public Works Department.

“To ensure that commuters shift to public transport, it is essential that there is a smooth interchange between all modes of transport and they are all easily accessible. Metro commuters should be able to step into a bus or an auto as soon as they get out of the station,” said director (Planning) and member secretary of UTTIPEC, Ashok Bhattacharjee.

Article Link:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/focus-on-public-transport-govt-body-issues-guidelines-for-seamless-travel/764938/0

Streetscaping work begins for 2010 events

Thanks to the Commonwealth Games next year, Delhities would also be able to enjoy better pedestrian facilities, nice parks and not just the tourists.

Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition

Delhi prepares to put on walking shoes

Planning body makes pedestrain - friendly measures for roads compulsory. The United Traffic & Transportation Infrastructure Centre has come up with the first of its kind pedestrian design guidelines to ensure that walking in the city becomes safe and a pleasurable expereince.

Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition