Dargah baoli comes to life as garbage removed

NEW DELHI: Not many know about its existence though hundreds of people pass it each day. Tucked away in a corner of dargah of Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, this 12th century baoli or stepwell stayed locked for almost two decades with tonnes of garbage and construction waste dumped into it. Only the unauthorized constructions which surround the desolate structure and the dargah management had access to it, and they used it as a massive dustbin.

Finally, 25 days ago, its doors were unlocked and work started to free the baoli of garbage. Already, waste till a depth of 5 metres, or roughly 600 cubic metres, has been removed and workers estimate that same quantity is still to be pulled out. Work has slowed down as a week after the clean-up operation started, the baoli sprang to life and a few feet of water appeared. Sources say this unprotected structure measures 29.25 m east to west and 12.8 m north to south. "It is 22.85m deep and consists of three stages, divided by galleries without balustrades," said an Intach official.

"We had been writing to authorities for several years about this problem but no action was taken," said Fauzan Ahmad, manager of the dargah . "We complained not just about the waste but also about the illegal constructions around it, some of which is continuing even now. Till the 1990s, people used to bathe in the baoli. But for the past two decades, it has been lying locked. Three levels are visible as of now and one level lies hidden under the waste," he said.

The cleaning work has been undertaken up by the irrigation and flood control department on behalf of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation. Officials said that after the work is complete, the baoli will be handed over to the agency concerned for further restoration work.

"We are removing 3,000-4, 000 bags of waste each day. The work has to be done manually since no machines can enter this area. The access is too narrow and we have to keep in mind that this is a heritage structure. We cannot afford to damage it in any way. Around 8-10 men dig up the waste using pickaxes and manually fill the bags," said a worker.

Sources said initially it was presumed that about 650 cubic metres of waste would be removed from the baoli but the work is expected to go on much longer as a lot more remains to be cleaned.

"We have already reached the limit set out in the contract, but there is much more waste to be removed. We have found everything here, from plastic plates to clothes, shoes, construction waste, utensils etc. A week after the digging work began, the place started filling up with water. This slowed down the work as we have to keep draining the water constantly in order to have a clear area to work. It will take another 10 days or more to finish the work," said a labourer.

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