New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) A dug-up road with an open trench, several malfunctioning street lights, missing safety nets and barricades run along the stretch in Delhi’s Janakpuri where a motorcyclist lost his life, eyewitnesses and locals claim, raising concerns over safety lapses, restricted access and poor visibility around a sewage work site.
A motorcyclist died after falling into a 15-foot-deep pit dug for sewage work by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in west Delhi’s Janakpuri area, police said on Friday. The deceased has been identified as Kamal Bhayani (25), a resident of Kailashpuri, who worked at the call centre of a private bank, police said.
Eyewitnesses, residents and local workers alleged that the trench was dug recently and safety arrangements such as barricades, safety nets and adequate lighting were missing around the site. They added that movement in the area, especially for children and the elderly, had become difficult due to the road being dug up.
Residents and workers also pointed to lighting issues along the stretch, saying visibility dropped sharply after dark.
“There are no streetlights for nearly a 100-metre stretch from the traffic signal at the intersection up to the spot where the pit had been dug. Only at the end of this stretch, where a residential lane begins, does a single streetlight stand,” said Sandeep, the manager of a local cafe.
He added that while barricades were placed near the traffic signal, the recently dug trench remained unsecured. Near the traffic signal, two barricades had been placed as part of the DJB’s ongoing sewage work, for which the road has been dug up.
“However, at the site where this particular trench was dug two days ago, there were no barricades or safety nets, not even the standard green mesh fencing,” he told PTI.
Uma, a local resident, said the road had been blocked in phases, creating confusion for commuters and two-wheelers attempting to pass through.
“First, they had closed the other side of the road, and now they have shut this one too. Earlier, the stretch ahead was closed, now they’ve dug up this side. People somehow manage to pass through narrow gaps or by taking detours. But for the past two months, this stretch has been completely blocked, there’s no proper passage at all,” she said.
She further explained that two-wheelers still tried to pass through, even though dug-up sections lay along the sides.
Reiterating that several streetlights in the area were not functional, she said, “There are no streetlights on this road either. It’s completely dark at night on this road. I face a lot of difficultly while crossing the road because I’ve to go to the temple on the other side.” Riding a bike in the area, especially at night, had become unsafe as potholes and uneven patches were hard to spot. While areas ahead of the accident site had some lighting in the evenings, she said, adding that the stretch near the trench remained pitch dark.
Sharing that construction work had been underway for months but the trench was dug only a day before the incident, another local, Ritu Saluja, said, “This trench was dug up just a day before. The work started from another block and has now reached here. It’s supposed to go all the way up to the District Centre. Until yesterday evening, there were no barricades.” She said access in and out of the block had been affected as the dug-up road is the only available route. “It’s become very difficult for us to exit from our block. This is the only way in and out of the block. There’s no alternate route. I go to drop my grandson at school, but now there’s no proper way to reach school. How am I supposed to go?” she questioned.
Another local, Yogendra Saluja, said children were facing difficulty moving through the area due to the ongoing construction and increased traffic.
“There should be some long-term provision for this, because it looks like this project will go on for a year. There were proper barricades on other trenches though,” he said.
He added that barricading had been done properly in earlier phases of the project. “The work has shifted here, the traffic has increased a lot. It has become difficult to cross the road. And since the earlier section got completed and the work moved here, the barricading hasn’t been done properly, even though this road was opened up,” he said.
Alleging a lack of safety measures by the authorities concerned, Sakshi Bansal, Delhi joint secretary of the Aam Aadmi Party, said the condition of the Janakpuri–Uttam Nagar stretch had been deteriorating for months.
“There are multiple schools in this area, and children commuting in e-rickshaws often face risks because of uneven, dug-up roads. The lack of streetlights and barricading, and poor maintenance have made daily life difficult for residents and commuters,” she said.
Despite new streetlights being installed recently, she added that they functioned for barely 10 days before going dark again. PTI MSJ SGV SGV MNK MNK
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