Municipal Corporation of Delhi
Pedestrian's right of passage usurped by the rich and poweful

The Editor

The Indian Express

New Delhi [email protected]

Sir,

The rich and the powerful in Delhi’s affluent residential colonies have with impunity curved out a very substantial part open space meant for the citizens by encroaching upon the footpaths and road space to accommodate their large fleet of cars and, in the name of ‘residents’ welfare associations’, exclusive and fairly commodious ‘security huts’, and all ostensibly for free.

In one of the ethnically exclusive colonies of South Delhi, some people have even gone out of the way to cover the roads/freeways (footpaths) by extending their gates to such an extent that the passersby and pedestrians must walk on the available road space, being deprived of their fundamental right to the use of footpaths endangering their safety.

Quite a few, more powerful and influential than their neighbours, have even beautified the available public space meant for pedestrians by putting ornamental plants and posting their liveried security staff, with their own private guard rooms, by totally ignoring the civic rights of their poorer fellow citizens. And, not only that, their unlimited large fleet of huge imported-costliest-glittering cars most audaciously hinder the pedestrians’ right of free passage by being parked on all sides/spaces-outside the gate, footpaths, roadspace, etc.

And, on top of all this, their uniformed security brigade even have the freedom, temerity and audacity of totally stopping the traffic each time any of the residents in these sprawling and huge houses (in a colony meant for refugees!) leave or arrive at their castles.

The most hilarious part of this is the show of authority twice everyday when the ceremony of “change of guard” of the security detail takes place on the roadspace outside these citadels of power. Even for the President of India, this ceremonial ritual is done inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises. And, as far as one knows, the MCD or the DDA allow these facilities and privileges for free.

Is it permissible to wonder as to why the less privileged rate payers must as beasts of burden be compelled to suffer this ignominy and inconvenience while parking space, space for "security huts" and exclusive privilege of secured right of way on public roads would be made available to these rich and powerful in the ex-refugees’ settlements at the cost of the common public at large?

And, why must the latter bear the cost of these freebies?