I just realised that I had almost half my adult life in Delhi and hold a Delhi passport. By Delhi standards, where you will hardly find a third generation Delhi-ite of my age, I am truly a son of teh soil and a true son, I really love my city fo reasons I am never tired of narrating to a patient listener.
Of late, however, my patience is wearing thin, not because of anythng else but because of the fact that I am now being chased by flyovers all across the city. It began way back in 200o when I went to live in nearly godforsaken East Delhi soon after the construction of the Nizamudding Bridge that connected Delhi with east Delhi. I was confident that in the next decade no new civil construction was doing to be take place in my locality. To my surprise, soon after the work started on a clover leaf flyover connecting various parts of east delhi to various other parts of east delhi and NOIDA, thankfully, Delhi contractors try and finish their work faster than elsewhere, but I had such night mares travelling that I left the place before the complicated flyover was completed.
I moved to what is known as south delhi in an older area and thought now this is the ideal place there is no scope for any contruction here everything has been done... I could not have been more mistaken..... They actually started working on one of the longest flyover in Delhi connecitng Lajpatnagar to Ashram chowk right at my backyard. I maintained my calm. Then they started builing an underpass over which was a road as well as a flyover. An underpass seem impossible there.... I remained calm, then they started repairing the old flyover across Moolchand to Defence Colony, builing gteh now infamous BRT, I was still with the planners firmly believing that this was for my good. In between, they dug up the roads on both sides of my house and buried the till now dry sarita vihar pipeline [the pies were about 8 feet in diameter. The last straw came 15 days back when they blocked the main road in front of my house to begin construction of over head metro lines...
I can;t sleep at night these days.... I dream of jams, pile drivers, diversons, pillars falling on my head.. I am traumatised. I am staying put in the hope that in my lifetime things will improve.
By the way, I think I am a good omen for you if you live in a locality where people are fighting to get flyovers, unerpasses, metro, waterworks, drainage systems, electricity: anything that can disrupt settled life done.. .So do please invite me to stay in your area. if you do not believe me hear this out: Two years that I was in Mumbai, the entire length of pavement from the city to Dadar was relaid and the work started on the airport flyover.
Of late, however, my patience is wearing thin, not because of anythng else but because of the fact that I am now being chased by flyovers all across the city. It began way back in 200o when I went to live in nearly godforsaken East Delhi soon after the construction of the Nizamudding Bridge that connected Delhi with east Delhi. I was confident that in the next decade no new civil construction was doing to be take place in my locality. To my surprise, soon after the work started on a clover leaf flyover connecting various parts of east delhi to various other parts of east delhi and NOIDA, thankfully, Delhi contractors try and finish their work faster than elsewhere, but I had such night mares travelling that I left the place before the complicated flyover was completed.
I moved to what is known as south delhi in an older area and thought now this is the ideal place there is no scope for any contruction here everything has been done... I could not have been more mistaken..... They actually started working on one of the longest flyover in Delhi connecitng Lajpatnagar to Ashram chowk right at my backyard. I maintained my calm. Then they started builing an underpass over which was a road as well as a flyover. An underpass seem impossible there.... I remained calm, then they started repairing the old flyover across Moolchand to Defence Colony, builing gteh now infamous BRT, I was still with the planners firmly believing that this was for my good. In between, they dug up the roads on both sides of my house and buried the till now dry sarita vihar pipeline [the pies were about 8 feet in diameter. The last straw came 15 days back when they blocked the main road in front of my house to begin construction of over head metro lines...
I can;t sleep at night these days.... I dream of jams, pile drivers, diversons, pillars falling on my head.. I am traumatised. I am staying put in the hope that in my lifetime things will improve.
By the way, I think I am a good omen for you if you live in a locality where people are fighting to get flyovers, unerpasses, metro, waterworks, drainage systems, electricity: anything that can disrupt settled life done.. .So do please invite me to stay in your area. if you do not believe me hear this out: Two years that I was in Mumbai, the entire length of pavement from the city to Dadar was relaid and the work started on the airport flyover.
