Identity lost, Pilanji a civic mess

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 21 Agustus 2014 | 22.10

NEW DELHI: Behind the bustling Dilli Haat at INA, and in the heart of the planned city centre of New Delhi assembly constituency, exists a very congested cluster of over 230 buildings that is home to some 25,000 people. It's called Pilanji Gaon.

Residents say the village is about 600 years old. It lost its rural identity to land acquisition by the British in 1911 when New Delhi was made the seat of governance. The disintegration of the larger village left this patch on the heart of New Delhi's map.

Today, it is nothing but a scene of urban chaos. The "urbanized" village tag granted to bring civic amenities has only turned Pilanji into a mess of unplanned growth and overcrowded alleys that make it look like a slum. Commercialization is the order here.

Pilanji is the only "village" in New Delhi assembly constituency. For 15 years (1998-2013), then chief minister Sheila Dikshit was the area MLA. Hidden by treelined and wide main roads, Pilanji is out of the government's sight and mind. Parliament is just a few kilometres away yet the authorities haven't given much thought to transforming it into a model urbanized village.

When TOI visited Pilanji before the assembly polls last December, residents complained about broken roads, over? owing drains, inadequate sewerage, water that's not ? t for drinking, and mosquito breeding.

Eight months later, they said none of the problems have been addressed and all those who came to seek votes before the elections in December and April never returned to make a difference.

BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi is the MP from New Delhi parliamentary constituency while Aam Aadmi Party convener and former CM Arvind Kejriwal is the MLA.

In Pilanji, TOI found the buildings rising to at least five floors and the space marked by uninterrupted chaos.

Shops of all shapes and sizes have mushroomed thanks to the ample demand from tenants drawn by low rents in the village.

Above the narrow lanes hangs a mesh of electric wires linking buildings and running dangerously through balconies. The result is lack of natural light and dark alleys.

In this urban maze, the original families of Pilanji are trying hard to keep their culture alive. In one such towering building TOI found a group of senior citizens and youths meeting over hookahs. Traditional charpais lined the space giving it the look of a chaupal.

Hari Chand, 70, pointed at old photographs hung on a wall and chronicling the history of the Gujjar community, the village's original inhabitants. "There were 80 families left here after the disintegration of the original Pilanji at the time of land acquisition in 1911. Today, there are 231 numbered houses," Hari Chand said. He defends the unauthorized development saying the original residents struggled with poverty for decades as there was no work after land acquisition, and later rules linked to cattle brought to an end all avenues for selling milk and milk products.

"Many families now depend on rental income for livelihood. Others have set up shops and some others do odd jobs. The young are studying and going into jobs," Hari Chand added.

The village is covered in filth.

Sri Chand and Khalu Pradhan, both old-timers, point out that the sewerage is old and giving way. The lines that carry water often deliver stinking water mixed with sewage from the leaking pipes due to unplanned growth. The haphazardly drawn electric connections lead to short circuits causing power cuts and blackouts. The complaints are many but a solution is nowhere in sight.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Pilanji Gaon,New Delhi assembly constituency,INA,Dilli Haat


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