The Indian Express     20.08.2012

Stinking Saket drain to be covered, space on top marked for parking

The South Municipal Corporation has decided to cover the sewage drain between Saket District Centre and Saket court, much to the relief of residents living in the area.

The decision came almost a year after the chief minister’s office wrote to the commissioner of erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi to cover the wide, stinking sewer line.Ashish Sood of South corporation said parking space would be built atop the covered drain to generate revenue for the cash-strapped civic agency.

“It was a good suggestion from the chief minister’s office in September 2011. Moreover, we need to explore more revenue sources. The plan came from Uday Chawla, a partner with Transearch Consultants, who suggested that the space can be used to park cars,” he said.

Apart from being a health hazard for people, Sood said the drain has been causing serious traffic problems because people often park their cars on the road close to the sewer line.

“Unauthorised parking chokes the road. Moreover, we need to act fast because more cars would be on the road because many offices and shops will open in the area in the coming years,” Sood said.

“There will be space to park almost 1,500 to 2,000 cars once the drain is covered. The project will earn us revenue,” a corporation official said.Earlier, the corporation had decided to cover the Nauroji Nagar drain that runs from Africa Avenue Marg to Ring Road.