Heritage queried
The controversy surrounding the Delhi Gymkhana Club is no longer only about one institution in Lutyens’ Delhi.
Delhi Minister Ashish Sood on Monday visited the Narela assembly constituency along with the local MLA, Raj Karan Khatri; the Director of Education and other officials from departments concerned, and inspected the local fire station, schools, and other infrastructure.
Photo: SNS
Delhi Minister Ashish Sood on Monday visited the Narela assembly constituency along with the local MLA, Raj Karan Khatri; the Director of Education and other officials from departments concerned, and inspected the local fire station, schools, and other infrastructure.
Sood’s inspection began with a visit to the Narela Fire Station, where he directed the fire department officials to promptly clean, complete the remaining construction work, and operationalise the facility, which he said remained unused for several years due to the alleged neglect by the previous government.
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The minister instructed senior fire department officials to deploy one large and one small fire engine at the Narela station, and considering the space constraints and the adjacent marketplace, he emphasised that a large vehicle might not be able to access the area in the event of an emergency.
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He also reviewed the status of the proposed government school in the Bankner village, and while interacting with the locals, he learned from them that the designated site was not suitable for a school.
They mentioned that the land belongs to the Gram Sabha and is located approximately 4 kms away from Swatantra Nagar, making it difficult for children to reach.
As per locals, the area becomes waterlogged during the monsoon season and lacks proper access roads, raising safety concerns, especially for girl students.
Sood questioned the rationale behind the previous government’s decision to allocate that particular land and suggested it was done to appease certain interests, ignoring the concerns of local residents.
Taking note of the complaints and suggestions from the villagers, the Minister instructed the Director of Education to cancel the current location in Bankner and identify a more appropriate site nearby for the construction of the school, asking for a detailed update on the matter within a week.
Sood assured the residents of Bankner that a school would be constructed at a suitable location before the end of the current government’s term.
During the visit, the Minister also reviewed the land proposed for the expansion of Swami Shraddhanand College and directed the principal to send a letter to the Directorate of Education, Delhi Government, through the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University, requesting action on essential tasks such as constructing a boundary wall and tree removal.
In addition, he suggested setting up a women’s college under Swami Shraddhanand College on the proposed site.
He also inspected the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, where the minister instructed the education department to address the existing shortcomings in the facility at the earliest so that it can be utilised to its full potential.
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