Hindustan Times 08.02.2010

Wall to protect central ridge

To help save the green lung of the city, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has started constructing a boundary wall around the central Ridge area.

The 7-feet-high concrete boundary wall is being built to keep a check on encroachment and dumping of malba.

“We are building the wall on either side of Shankar Road. We are carrying out this work as a deposit work and once the construction work is over we will hand it over to the Forest department,” said a senior NDMC official.

The entire stretch is 2.67 kilometre-long.

It begins at the Talkatora stadium roundabout and ends at the traffic signal of Ganga Ram hospital.

The cost of the project is Rs. 2.11 crore.

“We were directed by the Delhi chief minister to construct the wall as it faced constant threat of being encroached,” said the official.

“It was also being used as a dumping yard for throwing construction material,” added the official.

Experts are happy that such a step is being taken.

However, they are also apprehensive about the height of the boundary wall.

“Demarcating a boundary wall is a first step in ensuring that people don’t dump garbage or carry out any encroachment in the area,” said Ravi Aggarwal, member of Ridge Management Board.

“But it also makes the area more vulnerable as the high wall will also serve to block any access to the ridge and probably only encourage illegal activity inside,” he added.

The construction work started in September last year and will be completed by April.

“A number of people used to cut wood in the Ridge area too and the wall is going to act as a barrier for that too,” said Aggarwal.

“While the wall is being built to keep out unwanted elements, we have made white strips on it for aesthetic value,” he added.