Authorities told to fix parking mess outside school for blind

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the authorities to immediately rectify the "deplorable conditions" outside the Blind Relief Association near Oberoi Hotel after it was alleged that illegal parking there was causing immense problems to the visually challenged.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar also sought status reports from all the respondents, including the Public Works Department (PWD), city traffic police and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on the action that will be taken to rectify the current position.

The court's direction came while hearing a plea it had initiated itself in pursuant to a letter written by senior advocate Dushyant Dave seeking intervention to stop illegal parking and commercial activities carried outside the Blind Relief Association on Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg.

The court had appointed advocate Sufiyan Siddiqui as amicus curiae in the matter and he submitted a status report on Wednesday stating that there is an incessant movement of fast traffic on both the carriageways, which makes it extremely perilious to cross the road for even a healthy person.

The report also stated that the passerby, labourers working at the Oberoi Intercontinental Hotel are constantly relieving themselves on the walls and at the footpath between the main Entry-gate of "Blind Relief Association' and the Dragah, so much so that the guiding tiles meant for visually imapired are inundated with urine.

This has made it impossible for not only the visually impaired persons but also for the general pedestrians to walk on the said footpath. "That the streetlights on both sides of the road adjoining the 'Blind relief Association, Delhi' are dysfunctional since a very long time, which is a serious safety concern for the public in general and visually impaired persons in particular," the report stated.

‘WORKING ON IT’

• PWD counsel informed the court that the pavements are being repaired 
   
• He said tenders for construction of a footover bridge will floated by Feb 13. 
   
• The bench asked or a status report on the action action to be filed within two weeks