Delhi BJP leader Vijay Jolly has alleged that the elevator at the foot over-bridge (FOB) inaugurated on June 7 by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Mathura Road near Pragati Maidan was not working when he made a “surprise visit” to the structure on Friday.
Mr. Jolly claimed that the Government had described the FOB costing Rs.4.85 crore as the “changing face of Delhi before the Games”.
“I had to climb 40 stairs on the Mathura Road side and descend 40 stairs on the Pragati Maidan side because the elevator at this swanky FOB was not working,” Mr. Jolly said in a statement.
“No employees to manage the lift could be seen. Spending crores on such unfriendly FOBs are a sham and shows disregard for the physically challenged and the elderly.”
Mr. Jolly said despite the Delhi Government's claim of having spent Rs.199 crore on 80 FOBs, out of which 35 have been reportedly completed and 25 are under construction, these were not proving helpful to citizens.
“Most FOBs are still not being used by pedestrians because climbing 40 to 80 steps up and down is an uphill task for most. Non-provision of working lifts and electric escalators reveal a sad story of unplanned progress.”
He said the FOB at J-Block on M.B. Road in Saket which was inaugurated on Wednesday is still not complete. “The bridge has 50 steps upward and 50 steps downward with no lift or escalator. It is totally out of bounds for handicapped, the old and infirm senior citizens in South Delhi.”
