New Delhi: The Indian capital wears a new look. Places that matter have been given a coat of paint and polish. While the buildings look majestic, the blend of green brings relief to Delhi residents who, for the last several months, have got rather accustomed to eleventh-hour efforts by city authorities to upgrade infrastructure.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said, "My focus is to see that Delhi looks welcoming to those who come here, including the players. All the facilities will be a legacy for Delhi afterwards. While the well-spread-out facilities [that] are a result of the Commonwealth Games preparations are yet to sink in... the office-goers are the worst hit. People are going through the not-so-common traffic nightmares at virtually all roads that have anything to do with the CWG stadia."
Wider roads, clover-shaped flyovers and link roads that were meant to let the traffic bypass busy areas, have not made life any easier for residents.
Ashish Aggarwal, one exasperated commuter, said: "This madness will follow for weeks. No matter what time I start from home, everyday I am reaching office late. People like us cannot afford to sit back or go on a holiday till all this is over. It's frustrating to see vehicles ferrying athletes and delegates sailing through the dedicated lanes, while we suffer the jams as reduced carriageway space brings traffic to a crawl."
The police are not much help. One officer said: "The situation will remain the same till the end of the Games as the restrictions will continue from 8 am to 8 pm on main roads. On other stretches, lanes will be closed on a need-based level: that is when there is a movement of athletes."
Fewer public buses
Several hundred people who commute daily on buses have begun facing a different set of problems. Since Blueline buses have been ordered off the road till the Games, commuters are facing a harrowing time waiting for the low-floor Delhi Transport Corporation buses. About 1,600 Blueline buses plying on 132 routes through central Delhi and near the Games venues have been pushed off the roads.
Ameeta Arora, who works in an office at Nehru Place said, "I waited for more than an hour at the bus stop in Laxmi Nagar, but when it came it was already so packed that I had no choice but to hire an auto. The 45-minute journey took more than two hours and the driver overcharged me saying he wasted gas because he agreed to ferry me and as a result got stuck in the jam."
Now for Dixit's offer of providing a "life of dignity" for the poor. Hawkers and vendors living in the slums have been asked to pack up by the civic authorities.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) are removing small food joints as part of the hygiene drive ahead of the Games. As part of the campaign, the MCD has launched a crackdown on vendors selling street food. As a result, hundreds of homeless and poor have lost the means of livelihood as they have been confined to shelters.
