Heinous crimes and lack of development: Shahdara remains mired in problems

Shahdara, known for its mouth-watering street food, boasts large markets of clothes, especially wedding dresses, ornaments and also the availability of groceries at reasonable prices.

Situated on the banks of the river Yamuna, it's also known as the oldest inhabited areas of the city and an integral part of Purani Dilli. However, the Shahdara district is one of the newly formed districts in the national capital.

Delhi Metro too started its operations from Shahdara, the first station on the Red Line and premier station of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

However, the area has a long way to go as far as development is concerned. Narrow lanes lead to traffic jams in the area, especially near the Chhota Bazaar area. It becomes worse during rains.

Poor traffic management and lack of sidewalks just add to the chaos and turn it in an accident-prone area, especially for pedestrians. Unauthorised colonies, slums and illegal constructions abound in the area. Old sewage system, water shortage during summers and frequent outages are the problems that need early attention.

The proximity of Shahdara to the UP border has turned in into a heaven for criminals, who cross the border -- from both sides -- after committing petty crimes like theft and snatching, and heinous crimes such as murder and offences against women.

Beggars, including children and even toddlers, particularly near Shahdara and Mansarovar Park Metro stations, are a menace and paint an ugly picture of the area. Factories of various shapes and sizes employ child labourers in numbers and often force them to work in hazardous environment.

Lack of proper parking spaces often trigger scuffles. Broken roads, garbage strewn on streets and high pollution are other conspicuous features that people living here or commuting to can easily relate to.

A mohalla clinic was opened near the Mansarovar Metro station, but it remained non-operational until recently.

While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has re-nominated sitting MLA Ram Niwas Goyal, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have named Narendra Nath and Sanjay Goyal, respectively, for the February 8 elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly.

Of the 1,88,578 voters in the Assembly seat, 99,090 are men and 89,483 women. For whom they have voted would be known on February 11.