SDMC, cops lock horns over protective boundary wall for Sarojini Nagar market
1 July 2013 11:33 PM GMT
To avoid terror attacks in important market areas of south Delhi, officials of Sarojini Nagar police station are making efforts to make markets in their allotted regions secure. But the cops have run into trouble with officials of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) over increasing security measures at the Sarojini Nagar market.
Officials of the South Delhi civic body have refused permissision for the construction of a proposed seven feet-high wall along the perimeter of Sarojini Nagar market that had been requested by the Sarojini Nagar police station officials, to increase safety in the area.
'The idea of building a boundary wall around the Sarojini Nagar market came to me as the customer footfall at the market varies between 20,000 to 25,000 nearly everyday, especially on weekends. Approximately 25 police personnel, along with officials in plain clothes are on duty at the market everyday,' said the head police official of Sarojini Nagar.
As it is an open market, it remains vulnerable to all kinds of security threats.
'I had written a letter to the SDMC on 13 August, 2012, expressing concerns over the daily security threats at the market. There was a blast at the market in 2005. Hence I requested that the civic body allows the construction of a seven-feet high boundary wall with railings, which will help for both customers and the police in ensuring security in the area', said a senior police official.
Though there are 25 CCTV cameras installed across the market, the absence of the boundary wall would have helped monitor entry of people into the market.
In reply to the letter, on 27 August, 2012, A M Athale, the chief architect of SDMC said, 'There is no such provision of providing a boundary wall for the community markets in the master plan.' 'On 10 September 2012, the police again wrote to the SDMC, that boundary walls have been put up in markets like, Khan Market, Laxmi Bai Nagar market, Palika Bazaar, and asked why the same couldn’t be done for Sarojini Nagar market,' said a police official at Sarojini Nagar police station.
This time SDMC allegedly suggested that the request should be submitted to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). ‘No decision has been taken on the construction of the wall yet,’ said the police officer.
When Millennium Post tried to contact the DDA, calls went unanswered.
Officials of the South Delhi civic body have refused permissision for the construction of a proposed seven feet-high wall along the perimeter of Sarojini Nagar market that had been requested by the Sarojini Nagar police station officials, to increase safety in the area.
'The idea of building a boundary wall around the Sarojini Nagar market came to me as the customer footfall at the market varies between 20,000 to 25,000 nearly everyday, especially on weekends. Approximately 25 police personnel, along with officials in plain clothes are on duty at the market everyday,' said the head police official of Sarojini Nagar.
As it is an open market, it remains vulnerable to all kinds of security threats.
'I had written a letter to the SDMC on 13 August, 2012, expressing concerns over the daily security threats at the market. There was a blast at the market in 2005. Hence I requested that the civic body allows the construction of a seven-feet high boundary wall with railings, which will help for both customers and the police in ensuring security in the area', said a senior police official.
Though there are 25 CCTV cameras installed across the market, the absence of the boundary wall would have helped monitor entry of people into the market.
In reply to the letter, on 27 August, 2012, A M Athale, the chief architect of SDMC said, 'There is no such provision of providing a boundary wall for the community markets in the master plan.' 'On 10 September 2012, the police again wrote to the SDMC, that boundary walls have been put up in markets like, Khan Market, Laxmi Bai Nagar market, Palika Bazaar, and asked why the same couldn’t be done for Sarojini Nagar market,' said a police official at Sarojini Nagar police station.
This time SDMC allegedly suggested that the request should be submitted to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). ‘No decision has been taken on the construction of the wall yet,’ said the police officer.
When Millennium Post tried to contact the DDA, calls went unanswered.
Next Story
