An open drain alongside an excavated located in East Delhi. A perfect recipe for disaster. Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE
Governance

Why civic works continue to be a headache in Delhi (like elsewhere in India)

From lack of coordination to low budgets for maintenance, a number of factors cause works like road repairs to be delayed

Vikas Choudhary

An open drain running alongside an ongoing repair site in East Delhi near the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.

Repairs of civic infrastructure like roads and sewerage systems in the national capital, like the rest of the country, are a bane for local residents.

Civic works like road and sewerage repair are a bane for the national capital like the rest of India. From lack of agency coordination to low budgets, several reasons are to be blamed for messy maintenance works.

Often, a number of civic agencies dig up the same road separately to lay water pipes, electricity cables, internet lines, and drainage systems instead of planning joint execution.

Most budgets focus heavily on building new stretches rather than maintaining existing assets or enforcing contractor accountability.

These actions lead to disruption, traffic bottlenecks and sometimes end in tragic consequences for citizens.

All this leads to significant daily disruptions, severe traffic bottlenecks, and safety hazards for citizens that can lead to tragic consequences.