Speak up Delhi: Residential areas pay price for insidious growth of industries

The National capital has made significant progress in the commercial sector for over a decade — so much so that it has become a breeding ground for small and big entrepreneurs. However, of late, things have turned worse with these factories making their way into residential areas. Now the city has become home to hundreds of unauthorised industrial units running in narrow passages and serpentine lanes of residential areas. This has not only created chaos for people living in the areas, but also death traps for the poor labourers working there.

In one such incident last month, four workers lost their lives after a fire broke out in a laundry unit that was being run illegally in a house in Karol Bagh. These lives could have been saved, had the civic authorities sealed this illegal unit. Many such stories of workers getting trapped and dying in manufacturing units have gone untold.

When DNA did a ground report in West Delhi, it found that with illegal factories rooted everywhere, the demarcation between commercial area and residential area has dissolved. Almost every third house have turned into a factory.

''A three-stroyed jeans factory has popped up beside my building. We are deprived of sleep, thanks to the noise from the factory. I am more worried for my kids who find it difficult to study and sleep owing to the noise," said Anuj Sharma, a resident of Ramesh Nagar.

Even after being listed by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) under illegal units operating in non-conforming/residential areas in August, more than fifty thousand factories are still functioning under the nose of the authority. Most of these factories are situated in areas like Moti Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Ramesh Nagar, Jangpura, and Najafgarh.

Setting aside the illegality of the trade, it also contributes immensely to air pollution, and pose a health hazard for residents. Though DSIIDC has instructed the municipal corporations to take strict action against these illegal factories and despite several complaints by residents, things have not changed.

Sources in the civic bodies disclosed that some of these factories do not even have a licence to operate and many such units operate in extremely small premises, which are mostly stuffed with goods, no ventilation and not equipped with prescribed safety measures. Most of the buildings do not have a sanction plan and have added a floor illegally to the already existing structure.

VOICES

We live in a decibel hell. We deal with a lot of noise every day, 24*7. It's unbearable. The noise pollution has stressed my father out. They have stolen our peace of mind. Leave alone studying, I don't remember when we had a good night's sleep. We had requested them to stop, but no attention was paid to our request. Now we are trying to get accustomed to living in this mess.
— Abhinav, student

Even after getting several notices from the concerned departments for shifting the illegal factories to elsewhere in the industrial area, these factories are still running without a check. We want the authorities to take legal action against them immediately considering the fact that our health is at stake.
— Neena Tyagi, homemaker

There is a factory running in my area for 20 years contributing to a lot of problems. Many-a-times we have sought police action but in vain. We are very disappointed with the police system.
— Indradeep, lawyer

There is a paper packaging company with a set up of 3-4 heavy machines right next to the building I live. They use a strong commercial chemical substance which spreads a very strong stench throughout the day. I suffer from a breathing problem, and the strong odour just makes things worse for me. With the factory running till 11 in the night, I hardly get any rest.
— Rashmi Sharma, beautician

There is a workshop in our residential area which causes a lot of sound pollution, making it difficult for people to sleep, study or have a normal conversation. Several times the neighbours have requested the workshop owner to shift it from the residential area but our requests fell on deaf ears.
— Dr Rajni, doctor

The road in front of my house is choked with garbage dumped by a factory running in my area. The waste produced is so huge that even the garbage van is not able to collect the entire waste.
— Rajeev Tyagi, civil engineer

EXPERT SPEAK

Only factories which do not contribute to pollution are permitted in residential areas. The ones which were working illegally have either been shifted to an industrial site or in process. Most of the factories are functioning since ages, shifting their base to a new location takes some time. Some factories have turned the houses into godowns. These cannot be counted as factories. The government should conduct Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on a regular basis to curb choking of roads with industrial waste.
— Dr Sewa Ram, Professor School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi