Public Works Department had received an ultimatum of 1-month from PWD Minister Ms. Atishi to fix all maintenance issues across subways in Delhi. Upon the completion of one month, on Saturday, Ms. Atishi inspected five subways in South Delhi, including those in Masjid Moth, Nehru Place, Lajpat Nagar, Andrews Ganj, and Lajpat Nagar Metro Station.
During the inspection, she found that compared to before, the subways were clean and well-maintained. Sufficient lighting had been arranged to ensure women’s safety, security guards had been deployed, and new lights and convex mirrors had been installed. The drainage system had also improved.
On this occasion, Ms. Atishi stated that the department had been working to improve the conditions of subways across Delhi in recent days, but that there is still room for further improvement. She directed officials to focus on making the current situation of the subways even better.
It is to be noted that the PWD Minister had given a one-month ultimatum in the last week of May to the department for cleanliness, maintenance, and improvement of women’s safety facilities across all the subways in Delhi. Additionally, she had instructed the deployment of guards and the installation of new lights, among other things.
Starting from 1st July, she has initiated the inspection of various subways across Delhi.
During the inspection, Ms. Atishi shared that the Kejriwal government is committed to providing better facilities to the people of Delhi. In this regard, the government is working towards making all the subways more secure and convenient for pedestrians, keeping their safety in mind. She mentioned that the department is giving a new look to all the subways in Delhi under its jurisdiction. Special attention is being given to the cleanliness and maintenance of the subways. During some inspections in the past month, it was found that some subways lacked adequate lighting, which deterred people from using them. To overcome this, new lights have been installed in all the subways to ensure people’s comfort. Guards have also been deployed for their safety.
During the inspection, Minister Atishi also interacted with the people present, who were raising their voices. During these conversations, people mentioned that the conditions of the subways had improved in recent days. Damage was repaired, and special attention was given to cleanliness and maintenance. Women expressed their satisfaction with the measures taken for the cleanliness and security of the subways. They appeared happy with the well-lit subways and the presence of security guards, which gave them a sense of safety.
Ms. Atishi responded that ensuring the safety of pedestrians in the subways is the responsibility of the Kejriwal government. She said, “We are working diligently towards not only making our subways better but also ensuring their safety from a women’s security perspective. In the coming days, further improvements and facilities will be ensured in this regard.”
The PWD Minister shared that the department’s engineers were given orders to repair all the subways in Delhi within one month. “Starting today, I am personally inspecting different subways in Delhi to ensure that the work has been done according to the guidelines,” she said. It is to be noted that in the upcoming days, the Minister will also inspect subways in other parts of Delhi, and if any deficiencies are found during the inspection, strict action will be taken against the responsible engineers.
