Skip, hop and climb: Khajuri Khas police’s daily routine

Residents and police at Khajuri Khas face severe waterlogging due to a blocked sewer line, forcing them to scale walls to access their station.

For the past seven months, police personnel of the Khajuri Khas police station have taken to a strange ritual: taking off their shoes, holding them in their hands, stepping on a cement slab and scaling a 10-15-feet-high wall. However, this is far from a superstition; it is a necessity born out of constant knee-deep waterlogging of the Khajuri Thana Road and the area adjoining Shree Ram Colony.

Police personnel said that given the constant sewage backflow, they have to scale the walls to avoid getting drenched. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Rain or no rain, an overflowing sewer line in the area has turned into a menace to everyone here.

During a visit by HT last Friday morning, policemen were seen parking their bikes and busesnear National Highway 709B, rolling up their trousers and walking on the footpath to reach the police station. But, once at the entrance, their only option is to scale the wall as both gates of the police station could not be accessed due to the water.

A Delhi Police constable, who was recruited this year into the force and posted to Khajuri Khas, said, “I don’t know how long this problem has been going on but for the last two months, I have never walked into the police station normally. I have to climb the wall. Only those with cars (with a higher ground clearance) can enter.”

As the constable was sharing his experience, a group of women, walking to fetch their children from schools, chimed in to share their concerns.

Suneeta Singh, 29, a resident of Khajuri Khas, whose ward studies in a nearby government school, said, “It’s a nightmare. I believe this has been going on for eight to nine months. For us, it affects everything around us. The sewer line water is so black and dirty. My son often slips and falls in the water when I am not here. I have to carry him home. He gets rashes and infections. The water level increases during rains. The government sent a few water pumping machines but you can see that nothing is happened.”

Children and elderly people were spotted struggling, to jump on bricks, cement slabs, cement bags and rocks to cross the road. Many were seen holding one another to walk safely.

A group of policemen stopped a tractor, boarded it and asked the driver to drop them. One of them said, “How can we reach our own office without taking a bath in this water? This will go on for a long time…”

A passerby said that civic apathy has left residents with only tongue-in-cheek remarks to make. “Everyone must experience this beautiful black lake...they will feel blessed,” another local said.

Delhi Police personnel and the public navigate risky sewage-filled road, with many injuries also reported from the spot. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Man-made problem

One of the main reasons for the overflowing sewer line is the construction Delhi to Dehradun national highway last year, which covered an open drain, blocking water outflow. While the road comes under the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the drain’s maintenance is with the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department.

However, Kapil Mishra, Delhi cabinet minister told HT: “Yes, the waterlogging has been there for nearly a year but we have already started working on temporary solutions. We have cleared some of the sewer lines, put water pumps, installed valves and taken other measures. I know these don’t help when there’s heavy rainfall but on non-rainy days, these measures have helped us provide relief to locals. The issue is the national highway construction blocking the sewer line. Water from Shree Ram Colony and CRPF office has accumulated there and is tough to clear it.”

He said that they have already given a tender to the I&FC department to install new sewer lines. “Within five to six months, the new drainage system will be built and the problem will be over. Till then, we are working on temporary solutions.”

The I&FC department did not respond to requests for comment. NHAI also did not comment on the issue.

During the spot check, HT found at least three water pumps set up at the site, but were inadequate in tackling the sewage overflow even in the absence of rain. Given that the stretch from the highway to the police station slants downwards by two to three feet, locals said there needs to be better remedial measures.

Ashish Sharma, a head constable, stood near the national highway and said they have complained to senior officers and government departments.

“I can’t take my bike because water seeps in…We have to scale the wall. Some days, the water levels comes down, but it again increases after some time. This weather is the worst time for us. Our pants, socks, boots, uniform…everything gets dirty. The water is so bad that you can’t stand in it for more than five minutes. My skin gets itchy and red. I hope the flood and irrigation department removes the water. We just want to enter our station normally” he said.

A senior officer, who refused to be named, said, “I used to get my car to the police station. Around June, it got stuck in water and then I had to foot an expensive bill to clear the water. I now walk through the water. My wife scolds me as I am old now and I often get cough and cold. Senior officers said they are working on this. They sent pumps too. We also get a few calls/information of people slipping and injuring themselves. I just worry about the small children who use the road everyday to walk back from their school…”

The Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Khajuri Khas, is located hardly 500 metres from the road and dozens of kids access this road every day.

Sumit (first name only), a supervisor at BSES’ Khajuri Khas office, told HT: “This has been going on for almost nine months. Every day, I feel sad when I come here. I have to walk in dirty water to reach office. We can neither walk safely nor can we travel on bikes. The water level is so high that it damages our vehicles. This stretch is a horror for anyone who visits.”

Pawan Kumar Sharma, an advocate, was taking his elderly father for some work outside their house in Sonia Vihar.

He said: “We don’t have any option but to take this road. The Shree Ram Colony area and roads are already flooded with garbage and dump. As part of my work, I have to visit the police station; but now, nobody can enter without a car. Locals can’t access their own police station. How do we file complaints? Sit on waterlogged streets with policemen?”

A group of girl students of Class 10 said their white uniforms get dirty and they have to wash it and ensure it dries in time. “I only have two sets of uniform and want them to be clean or my teacher will scold me. The other day, a biker fell and hurt himself. Last month, our classmate slipped and fell on the road. We thought she was going to drown. Nobody should walk here…” she said.