Well, on last Thursday I wrote about my driving experiences in Delhi. I had left the column in between. So here’s the second part of my column describing my two-and-a-half kilometre long ride to office from old Rajinder Nagar to Jhandewalan Extension. This is a journey which I hate. Simply because of the ongoing DMRC’s Line 3 construction. It’s not that due to the construction there are jams, but the same old problem that even Rohini residents faced.

Actually what has happened is DMRC has repaired only one-and-a-half lane of the entire carriageway below the elevated corridor. Which means that all along the Line 3 route, the Metro has repaired only that portion of the road which is below the elevated corridor. The other half of the carriageway is crying for attention from the concerned civic agency to repair the road as that portion of the road isn’t under DMRC. Thus it remains untouched although during the construction of the elevated corridor, even those portions were damaged.

So what commuters have got is a half-baked road, at least till Shadipur Depot from Punchkuian Road. I don’t about the rest till Dwarka. But what has happened now is everybody on the road wants to travel on this repaired portion of the road. Right from blueline buses, two-wheeler riders and worse, the autorickshaw drivers. None wants to travel on the left-most lane. Because of this new phenomenon, the car drivers, who generally are the kings of rightmost lane (fast lane), end up being frustrated drivers and resorting to taking the bumpy ride on the bus lane.

It is a torture to drive cars on Punchkuian Road, Link Road, Pusa Road and Patel Nagar Road these days. I remember Rohini and Pitampura residents faced the same problem when Line 1 was being made. I just wish DMRC with the concerned civic agency should launch a concerted effort in restoring the damaged road together. And not shying away from other portion of the road which doesn’t come under their purview. I hope now you know that why I don’t like the journey from my present home to office. It’s just frustrating. Now I am just waiting for the Line 3 (Barakhamba-Dwarka) to start so that I can be a proud commuter of Nation’s envy and Delhi’s Pride.