Gaur Valerio residents continue to live in fear after boundary wall collapse

The residents of Gaur Valerio housing complex are living in a state of fear following the sudden collapse of their boundary wall last week. 

Indirapuram News

The residents worry and hope that the damage does not spread and affect the main building. 

Following heavy rains, a portion of society’s boundary wall collapsed revealing septic tank and connecting pipes. The base of the wall slid away along with the mud. 

Septic tank and connecting pipes revealed after boundary wall collapse

The residents say the main culprit is Adinath Builders, who have dug up the plot adjoining Gaur Valerio, and have, for all practical purposes, abandoned the site. 

Rajiv Munshi, General Secretary Gaur Valerio’s Apartment Owners’ Association, said the rains in its sweep not just started filling up the dug-up area with water, but also pulled in mud from its surroundings including that beneath the boundary wall.

The residents panicked as water levels rose. Munshi said in the past too his society had suffered because of the construction activities in the neighbourhood. “This isn’t first time... in the past, a toilet built along the periphery had collapsed. Following several representations and legal action, the builder reconstructed the boundary wall adjoining the toilet in January this year." 

The builder has a project named ‘Angel Jupitor’, which is build at the rear of Valerio. Now, he intends to extend it to the adjoining plot. 

For the last four years, the project has been moving at an extremely slow pace. Munshi said a “retaining wall” would have solved the problem. But the builder was not paying any heed. 

Ankit Rajput, the maintenance manager of Valerio, said, “Fortunately, the basement is unaffected by the incident. If something had happened to the basement, the whole society would’ve been in danger.”

A day after the incident, the society had sent a letter to DM Ghaziabad complaining about their truant neighbour. But there has been no response so far.

Ankit said, “It’s only after we lodged a complaint at Indirapuram Police station that the builder started pumping out the water from the site.” The builder has agreed to repair the boundary wall, he said.

GDA has promised to launch a drive and prosecute builders such as Adinath, who abandon projects mid-way unattended.  

A GDA official claimed that the authority had made enquires about the project a few days ago, but did not pursue it, as it was embroiled in legal issues.

Adinath builders did not respond to calls and messages from City Spidey.

Parents call it extortion, the school justifiable fees... the truth?

When you go to a garment store for shopping, you already know how much a branded and a local pair of jeans would cost. The choice is yours... We know the rules and the acts, but we can’t run without the fees.”

Indirapuram News

These are the words of Roopkamal Singh, the vice-principal of Amity International School in Vasundhara, Sector 1.

The standoff between the parents and the school has been deepened by the fact that administration has done its bit in terms of sending notices and circulars, but implementation remained slack.    

On July 31st, the school put out a reminder notice, giving an ultimatum to parents who refused to pay the charges under the three heads of AC, Annual and Activity. It asked parents to pay up by August 6, or have the names of their wards struck off from the school rolls.

Parents alleged similar intimidation had been employed earlier, forcing parents to reach out to the administration in hopes of mediation.

Amit Kumar Dubey, secretary of Amity Parents’ Association, recalled, “It started when the parents questioned the school for not taking fees in accordance with the ordinance [Uttar Pradesh Self Financed Independent Schools Ordinance]. In fact, they made dubious claims of the copy of the ordinance not reaching them!”

On June 25, District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), Pankaj Pandey, issued a letter along with the ordinance’s copy to the school. The letter mentioned that the copy of the ordinance had already been forwarded to all schools through email on April 12. It also dubbed money charged under AC, Annual and Activity charges as “illegal extortion”.

The DIOS order

The DIOS also referred to Ghaziabad DM’s order, which said that schools should refrain themselves from actions such as issuance of TC, threatening children and discriminating against them. It also said till there’s clarity on the formulation of fees as per the ordinance, schools will not charge raised fee.

On June 26, an order came from the then Joint Director (Education), wherein the school was ordered to not strike off the students’ names till clarity about the ordinance was achieved.

However, the school claimed to have not received the orders issued by multiple authorities. “Apart from the DIOS’s letter, we haven’t received any official order,” the VP stressed.

The order came from the Joint Director (Education)

City Spidey met with the school authorities to get their version.

Immediately on the offensive, the vice-principal, Roopkamal Singh, began the conversation by showing a press release draft which was to be distributed among media after getting a go-ahead from the chairman. The crux of the draft: “Few parents are trying to malign the reputation of the school”.

The release, she said, was just a “precautionary measure”.

The VP then said, “We are following the DIOS orders, and we have not raised our fees. In fact, the DIOS had called a few days back and said that he will check the fees himself. We have followed the ordinance in our fee structure.”

The DIOS, however, doesn’t have the authority to approve or disapprove a fee structure. That power, according to the ordinance, rests with Divisional Fee regulatory Committee (DFRC).

When City Spidey contacted the DIOS, he was quick to retaliate: “How can I approve something out of my jurisdiction, school is misleading the parents!”

Surprisingly, when the school’s administration head, Arun Chaudhary, was asked whether he had approached the DFRC after calculating fee structure, he claimed to have never heard of the DFRC. “I don’t know about it. Nobody informed us to do so,” he said.

On the subject of discrimination against the children, the VP completely denied the allegation. “The parents are lying,” she countered.

But City Spidey found access for a few children to the school’s domain ‘Amitranet’ revoked, an allegation levelled by parents.

UPPCB stops operations of illegal RMC plant at Noida Extension

After the complaints of residents living in nearby high rise societies, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) on Wednesday ordered to stop the operations of ready-mix concrete (RMC) plant at Noida Extension.

Noida News

The officials have also ordered to shift the RMC plant from the current spot. They have also informed the Greater Noida Authority about the order.

The RMC plant was operating on the plot of Galaxy builder.

When the complaint was made for the first time in March this year, a penalty of Rs 50,000 was imposed on the plant. The officials had directed to close the operations of the plant till the time they get permission.

However, the Galaxy builder had continued with the operations of the RMC plant.

When the officials received complaints for the third time, they ordered to shut down the operations.   

The residents of nearby societies, such as Panchsheel Greens, Supertech Eco Village II and Ajnara Homes, were complaining about health hazards to newborn babies.

Vikas Kumar, a resident of Panchsheel Greens, said, “I received threat calls from few people to stop complaining about the plant. But, I ignored all the calls. There are more than 20,000 people living in the area and this plant had become a major problem. It was causing a lot of air pollution.”

An official of UPPCB said that they have already taken the action and sent the report to the Greater Noida Authority for further action. “It was illegally run by the builder as they did not take any permission from the UPPCB or Greater Noida Authority,” said official.

Crossings Republik: Residents helpless as setting up of fire station gets stuck

The residents have been demanding a fire station at Crossings Republik in Ghaziabad in the last three years. Now, their chances got hit when municipal commissioner Chandra Prakash Singh objected the land notified for the setting up of a fire station. Ghaziabad News

Last week, district magistrate of Ghaziabad, Ritu Maheshwari, had approved the request for setting up of a fire station in Crossings Republik. She had forwarded it to municipal commissioner asking his approval or objection in this matter.

The letter in which the request was forwarded mentioned that the land notified for the fire station is the property of the municipal corporation. Hence, his consent was required.

The commissioner told City Spidey that corporation doesn’t have enough land to give it to the fire station. He also added that it is the builder’s responsibility to provide the land for such facilities.

However, he chose not to respond when asked whether he has stated the same in reply to the DM.

In the last three years, the residents, with the backing of FedAOA, are raising the demand for fire station. The issue started when the builder, Crossings Infrastructure Pvt Ltd (CIPL) failed to procure land for the fire station which they had shown in their Detail Project Report (DPR).

Chief architect town planner, Ishtiaq Ahmed, said that 360-acre large township had proposed a fire station in its DPR but somehow it failed to procure land for this facility.

CIPL’s maintenance manager, Ishwar Tyagi, said that the backing out of some farmers whose lands were to be used for setting up fire station affected the prospect of the fire station.

After the failure of CIPL, FedAOA requested GDA to procure land for the station.

The SDM, Vivek Kumar Mishra, after the inspection, made a report in which he notified a barren land in Dundahera village which is adjacent to the area as suitable for setting up of the fire station. The land happens to be municipal property to which DM sought corporation’s concurrence.

After the commissioner’s denial to provide land, lakhs of resident’s lives are under risk.

FedAOA President Alok Kumar, who led the campaign, disappointedly said, “Fire station is a basic necessity for a township. The administration is putting lakhs of lives in danger by not setting up the fire station.”

The Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Sunil Kumar Singh, agreed to the fact that the fire station should be set up in the area as the nearest station is quite far from the township. “The nearest fire station at Kotwali is around 7-8 kilometres far from the Crossings Republik,” he said.

CFO also said that the road from Kotwali to Crossings Republik always remains busy. He said, “A lot of time will be wasted by calling fire brigade from that place.”

Moreover, the lack of coordination between the authorities is a big cause of concern.

Sanjay Jha, a member of FedAOA, said that the delay in setting up of the fire station is inviting a big incident. “What would we do if a building catches fire? We won’t have a fire station in our proximity to control the situation immediately,” he said.

Vasundhara's Amity International in Sec 1 threatens to strike names off rolls

In a move to extract outstanding fees, Amity International School in Vasundhara, Sector 1, threatened dozens of parents with an ultimatum — to strike off their wards’ names from the school rolls if fees were not cleared by July 31. Indirapuram News

Two days ago, parents received a mail from the school stating the same. The mails have been sent to a selected group of parents — who revolted against the school’s arbitrary charges.

The ultimatum mail to parents

Amit kumar Dubey, secretary of Amity Parents’ Association, said, “Parents who were sent mails have paid the tuition fees and other reasonable charges. Only charges under three heads — AC, annual and activity charges were not paid because they seemed arbitrary. And when parents demanded a justification for the same, they were not satisfactorily answered by the school.”

Dubey argued parents are ready to pay the above-mentioned charges, but the school must provide a rationale for claiming the same.

The mail is not the first instance of intimidation by school

“Since the Uttar Pradesh Self Financed Independent Schools Ordinance came into effect, we decided not to pay the unjustified charges. We are being been continuously pressurised by the school in some way or the other. The tactics used by the school to put pressure on parents are frivolous and will be deemed criminal in the eyes of law,” Dubey argued.

Parents alleged that school denied issuance of ID cards to their children. Children were also excluded from various school activities. “And to top it all, children’s access to do homework on school’s website was revoked as well,” Dubey said.

Gyanendra Prakash, whose two wards study in Amity, said this discrimination is bothering their children. “It’s affecting them psychologically — these tricks are frustrating my children and leaving an adverse impact on their development,” he complained.

These pressure tactics, Dubey claimed, directly violated the Right to Education Act of 2009, which categorically states that children can’t be harassed on account of fee dispute with the school.

The school is, in fact, not complying with administrative orders, claimed parents. “When we asked the school to charge fees as per the ordinance, they questioned the validity of the ordinance itself. Quite contradictorily, they also claimed that they were charging as per the ordinance. But one look at the fee invoice will tell you that it’s not true,” explained Dubey.

School's reply to parents

Fed up with the school’s hostile attitude, parents sought the intervention of the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS). The DIOS asked the school to comply with the ordinance and asked the school to take cognizance of the DM’s order released on May 10, which states that in the absence of clarity in fees formulation as per the ordinance, schools will not charge raised fee.

Parents said that after the directives from the DIOS’ office, school composited all the questionable charges under a single head, and put out a circular stating that they’ve proposed the fee as per the ordinance.

The fee before the ordinance; the reorganised fee, with a new head, composite charges 

Amit Saxena, an agitated parent whose daughter studies in Amity, blamed administration for the school’s devil-may-care attitude. “Authorities are only serving notices and giving orders, while the school is blatantly making a mockery of government directives. Who is responsible for implementing them?” he lashed out.

Parents reached out to City Spidey with several government notices and orders issued to the school from the offices of DIOS, Joint Director (Education) and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The orders repeatedly instructed the school to refrain from threatening students or discriminating against them.

City Spidey, however, couldn’t reach the school management for comments.

Free parking zones in front of Metro stations turn into theft hotspots

Alok Kumar, a resident of Sector 3, would take his car to Sector 13 Metro Station, park his vehicle in the free-parking zone, and then take the Metro to office. This had been his routine for the last four years. This July, he returned from office one day and found his car missing. He is now in the midst of paper work to claim insurance. Delhi News

And this is not a singular story — there are several similar instances of car and bike thefts from the free parking areas of Metro in Dwarka.

According to police sources, in 2017, 16 vehicles were reported stolen from the free parking area in front of Sector 14 Metro Station in a single month! Taking cognizance of the seriousness of the issue, Dwarka Police fenced off the area and currently parking is not allowed there.

Another victim, Sanjeev Kumar, whose bike was lifted from there, said, “For a few months, a police official used to be stationed there to stop vehicles from parking there. The situation was so alarming that the area was finally fenced off. But I don’t think that’s the solution. The administration should treat the threat more seriously.”

Saumya Thakur, a resident of Sector 4, added, “There was a paid parking area in Sector 13 earlier. We had to pay but we didn’t have any worries. Now, there’s free parking, but you park at your own risk. What’s the point then? Theft of vehicles from free parking areas in front of Metro stations highlights the failure of the system.”

These parking spaces are under the jurisdiction of Delhi Development Authority (DDA). And one way of curbing such incidents, in the words of Dwarka ACP Rajendra Singh, is to make them regulated parking zones.

When City Spidey got in touch with him, he said, “We have written several times to the DDA to regulate the free parking areas. The police has also written to the BSES for providing enough lights in these areas. In fact, we set up traps in several incidents to nab these miscreants, and the ruse worked. We’ll ensure that such incidents are avoided.”

Carrying a plastic bag to Mahagun Moderne? You will be stopped at the gates!

To make the society a plastic and smoking-free zone, residents and AOA of Mahagun Moderne, a high rise in Sector 78 of Noida, launched a month-long awareness campaign yesterday.

The move adds teeth to an order issued by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on July 6 that called upon all local government bodies to ditch the use of plastic — cups, glass and polythene bags — in the state.

Noida News

The order came into effect from July 15.

The initiative at Mahagun Moderne was also spurred by incidents of waterlogging across the city. One of the factors that contributed to the mayhem was plastic — littered thoughtlessly, they ended up in the storm water drains choking them.  

Sandeep Chauhan, AOA president of Mahagun Moderne, opined, “People should make a difference now —it has to start from our own homes. It’s no use blaming the authorities and builders for all ills.  The AOA requests all to circulate the message on WhatsApp and other platforms to help raise awareness about the issue.”

He continued, “To make this initiative a success, we told the security guards to stop residents who enter the society with plastic bags, and ask them to not use such bags in future. We also told the society market and the market outside to follow the government order and guidelines, otherwise residents will boycott the shops.”

The residents have also been asked to not smoke in the common and public areas of the society like the parking area, garden and elsewhere.

Plans are afoot to organise painting competitions on both the issues on Independence Day. Jute bags will be given out as well on the day to encourage a plastic-free lifestyle.

“Work is also on to chalk out a suitable waste-disposal plan, and we will soon issue guidelines for the same,” Chauhan added.

RESIDENT SPEAK: 'Our power back-up sometimes runs for 36 hours on end!'

When CM Yogi announced that UP will see no more power cuts, residents of high-rise societies in Indirapuram reacted rather indifferently. In a city where most societies were backed by DGs, residents lived in bliss, grave power cuts notwithstanding.

Air conditioners worked in peak summers and while geysers made winters easy. So, when we invested in Indirapuram's ATS Advantage, the most up-market and posh society in the city, we knew we were paying a premium for the luxuries that far exceeded what other societies in the vicinity had.

But in the last few months, we — most ironically — realised that our expensive society was the only one facing serious power cuts. Initially, we didn’t feel the burden of power cuts, but soon the reality started to pinch everybody. Power cuts became more and more frequent, and people realised they were paying three times the cost of the electricity not only for their apartment, but also for the common area.

Noida News

What’s disturbing further is that there is never an update from the authorities, the association or the builder unless pressed for. With mounting pressure from residents, the association attributed the daily nuisance to the line fault.

Next time, we were told that power cuts were happening due to work on NH 24, which impacted our supply lines. When residents demanded to know why this was happening only with our society, it was revealed that we don’t get our supply from Kala Patthar at all.

Our society has been surviving on DGs that work upto 36 hours sometimes!

There’s a bigger issue too — lack of any effort to ensure that some savings are enforced in the consumption of electricity in the common areas, especially during peak hours.

And now, the City Spidey report tells us that PVVNL, the builder and association are blaming each other for the frequent outages.

The residents have now risen to the occasion, and are mounting pressure on the builder and the AOA to:  

Introduce power-saving measures and devices to help reduce the load on our pockets

Run awareness campaigns to make residents and workers save electricity, especially in the common area

You know, we could be setting an example here  — one of the plushest addresses that took measures to reduce power consumption.

I think I am beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, finally!

SC orders transfer of incomplete Amrapali projects to NBCC

The SC today handed over all incomplete projects of Amrapali Group to the National Building Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC), spelling respite for over 40,000 hapless homebuyers. The SC also asked the NBCC to submit a written proposal about the complexity and expenditure involved for all the projects within 30 days.

Noida News

On May 17, the apex court had named Galaxy Group, Kanodia Cement Company and IIFL as co-developers, who were to complete the stalled projects of Amrapali Group. But now, they have been removed from the picture.

The bench said the group's conduct was “wholly unfair” and “absolutely improper”. The bench also took note of the alleged diversion of Rs 2,765 crore by the realtor, and asked the auditor to submit a report on it.

It further directed its registry to intimate the banks about the order, freezing the bank accounts of Amrapali group of companies. On Wednesday, it ordered the group to submit the details of all its bank accounts from 2008 till today as well as details of movable properties of the 40 firms under the real estate major.

Abhishek Kumar, President of Noida Extension Flat Owners’ Welfare Association (NEFOWA), said, “Power connection for Amrapali Leisure Valley, a residential society in Noida Extension, was disconnected due to non-payment by the builder. The SC ordered the electricity department to keep it connected till the next hearing, scheduled for August 9.”

Last year, Bank of Baroda had filed an insolvency petition before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) after Amrapali had failed to repay a loan of Rs 56 crore. The move had caused panic among homebuyers, as they feared their investments would not be protected under the insolvency and bankruptcy code, since NCLT would give preference to banks before buyers.

In September 2017, a group of homebuyers from Noida filed a plea with the Supreme Court, seeking protection of their investments. In January, buyers of five other stalled housing projects in Greater Noida also filed similar pleas.

The apex court clubbed all the pleas and began the hearing.

DDA takes up development of abandoned parks in Dwarka

Dwarka has reason to cheer... DDA has taken up renovation of parks that are under its jurisdiction. Some parks will be facilitated with more greenery, rain shelters, slides, lights, while a few others will be turned into themed parks.

Dwarka News

The abandoned park in Sector 3 has been picked up for the initiative. Commenting on the development, JC Malhotra, a senior citizen from Welcome CGHS in the sector, said, “We requested the DDA for rain shelters, and also grass on the ground, as the whole place looked completely barren. I am happy that the DDA has paid heed to our longstanding requests.”

According to sources, a herbal park would be developed in Sector 19 and a rose park in Sector 22. A bougainvillea park is being developed in Sector 11.

DDA has under its jurisdiction 94 parks that are above three acres, and these are more likely to be developed as theme parks. “The bigger parks and district parks would be taken for the theme-based planting initiatives. Plans are afoot, and at some places, the groundwork has started,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

Also, the area near the STP in Sector 5 is being developed as a forest area. According to DDA officials, planting activities are already on there. Deputy Director Horticulture, DDA, Dwarka, Jameel Ahmad said to City Spidey, “The forest area would be a first in Dwarka. There would be facilities like a walking tracks, benches and lights along the track. People could use the area for a walk and feel in sync with nature.”

RWAs of the area have expressed happiness at the initiative, but want a more holistic approach to development.

Vice-president of Dwarka Forum and a resident of Sector 8, AS Chhatwal, said, “This is great news that DDA has started planting saplings in the rainy season. They should also look at the parks in Sector 8. But just planting saplings is not enough, there should be follow up after that — it should be a rounded approach.”

In aftermath of boy’s fall, fact-check reveals many lacunae at Jaypee Wish Town

The fall of an 8-year-old boy, Aarav Beniwal, into the ventilator shaft has left other residents of Jaypee Wish Town Klassic in huge shock. In the aftermath, the residents are sceptical to use facilities at the society. It seems that the trust in the builder has taken a hit. They are leaving no stone unturned to locate the places within the society which are dangerous for kids and others in general.

The residents claimed that the place where the child fell is not the only place dangerous within the society. They want the problem areas to be fixed. But, of course, builder’s involvement is also required to make the place safer for children. Noida News

City Spidey has also done a tour of the place. It found many lacunae on the side of the builder. It found cracks at the walls of the towers, digging at children play area and some high tension power wires.

The recent instances of building collapses in Delhi-NCR areas, after the arrival of monsoon, have also affected the psyche of people and they are now very anxious to live in these buildings. The residents are frequently complaining about the poor quality of materials which were used during the construction.

When City Spidey did a round of Klassic society, it found many consistencies with the resident’s claims. It has spotted many spots on the walls from where many chunks of plaster have fallen in the past. Residents categorically told that there have been many incidents of plaster falling but they were fortunate that no one got hurt.

A resident of Klassic tower in Jaypee Wishtown, Pushkar Pandey, told that they want structure audit by the government. He said, “We should know the exact position of the society. We will soon write a letter to Uttar Pradesh chief minister and district magistrate regarding this,” Pandey added.

High tension wires were also spotted 10 meters above the ground. They were seen at the area where children play and residents jog. This place was not more than ten steps away from the ventilation shaft where the boy fell. Residents had demanded underground wiring two years ago but the builder has done nothing about it.

A resident, Jagvir Yadav, said that the electric poles, installed by the builder in the park area, are dangerous for children. “Children come to play here and if the wire falls on any of the child or person then who will be responsible for the casualty. The builder should address this as soon as possible,” Yadav said.

The builder has also done digging work at the children play area. Children aged 4-8 years come to play in this area. During rain, the drilled area was full of water. Bricks and iron nails were also found by the City Spidey team.

“I don't think fire sprinklers are operational here. Many of them are locked as well. We need to force faclity management group (FMG) to do fire drill every month (not evacuation only but to test the whole system is working or not) and we will be the part of it,” Yadav said.

PR Malhotra, another resident, said that all the shafts need to be sealed properly. He said, “It is a basic rule of firefighting system that smoke does not travel from one place to another. How the builder got the fire NOC. Noida Authority and fire department must inspect the society.”

Residents also said that the automatic rescue device (ARD) is not installed in the lift. The emergency button is also not working. It has become a regular practice in the society that people get stuck in the lift.

An official of the Jaypee Wishtown said that repairing work of wall and tower is going on and we will make the towers moisture and crack free soon.

“We already told the residents to take precaution because it is the park area. But the residents are ignoring this and children come here to play. It is the people fault to allow their children to play in the park. They should instead take their children at the play area,” the official said.

On the issue of high tension wire, he said that he will do something on it and soon the wire will be underground. He also said that all the areas where digging was done will be filled by soil.

Dwarka: Sales of banned sugarcane juice rampant; people exposed to diseases

A resident of Sector-12 in Dwarka, Ravi Shankar, has been bedridden due to Typhoid in last few days. He had absolutely no clue about the causes of disease. But, when he visited a doctor, he came to know that it might be caused due to consumption of sugarcane juice or fruit salad.

Shankar recollected that he was very fond of having sugarcane juice and fruit salad which are sold on the streets. Dwarka News

He is not the only person who consumes these items on the roads. There are many other people who consume them regularly and fall ill. They are completely ignorant of the fact that consumption of these items in rainy season is very risky for health.

Considering unhygienic in the rainy season, the Municipal Corporation bans their sales from April to September every year.

According to sources, the corporation had put the ban from April 15 to September 15. But, it seems that the ban is just a formality as sales of sugarcane juice and fruit salad is prevalent especially in West Delhi.

In Dwarka, sugarcane juice vendors can be seen standing outside the parks or in front of weekly markets. A resident of Sector-9, Shashi Bhatnagar, said, “These practices are going on under the nose of the administration causing threat of water-borne diseases. These things should be dealt strictly.”

According to officials of the Municipal Corporation, there is a ban on food items which are kept in open and can cause infection. Also, there is a ban on fruits salad and any type of fruit juice which is openly made.

Municipal Health Officer, Dr BK Hazarika, said to City Spidey, “No one is allowed to sell juice or cut fruits or food items in open. This is dangerous to health and Corporation take actions against those who do it.”

According to SDMC data, they issued challans to more than 5,000 vendors and seized the stuffs of 900 vendors and 5540 small vendors. In total, 247 sugarcane machines were seized in SDMC area while 97 in Nazafgarh Zone.

Talking on the ill effects of sugarcane juice, Dr Sanjeev Kumar, said, “Sugarcane juice is often sold in open by the vendors. The atmosphere around it is often unhygienic and dirty. Also, the raw ice which is mixed with them is highly risky for health.”

“Drinking such juices cause water-borne diseases like Jaundice, Amoebiasis, Giardiasis, Diarrhoea Typhoid etc. Also, it is the same for cut fruits which are sold in open. The corporation bans these items in the rainy season because of high chances of infection.”

That pond across DPS I'puram is a mockery of GDA advisory...

Just across Delhi Public School (DPS) Indirapuram, you’ll see something of a pond. A closer look will tell you it’s a construction site. It has been eight months since work came to a halt there.

The site, the size of a football ground, has been left dug up like that, with rainwater steadily filling it up. Indirapuram News

A resident, who didn't want to be named, informed City Spidey that a legal wrangle with DPS brought work to a halt. The school had objected to the pollution caused from the stone-grinding machines at the construction site of Amba Realtors Pvt Ltd.

“It was impacting the health of the students,” the same resident informed.

The stone-crushing machine on the premises

 Adjacent to the site, there’s another construction site by the name “Angel Jupitor”. The heavy rainfall last Thursday had caused a mudslide at Jupitor’s construction site, leading to the caving in of the base of the boundary wall of the adjoining society, Gaur Valerio.

Such incidents were reported widely across the city after heavy rains waterlogged the whole of Ghaziabad last Thursday.

In fact, these events led the GDA to issue an advisory to all high-rise apartments to pump out water accumulated water in their basement. It read: “The waterlogging in basements could lead to seepage in the foundation of buildings, which could prove fatal for the residents.”

After multiple complaints by Gaur, Jupiter’s management has finally started to pump out the water, but Amba’s management has turned a deaf ear to warnings by the GDA  . 

The guard at the construction site says — almost conspiratorially — the land has become something of a marshland and no machine can get down to pump out the water.

The words ring with a menace that’s hard to ignore: “How stable would be this building if its foundation has been turned into a marshland of sorts?”

And there are immediate concerns as well... the stagnant water could most certainly become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The concerns resonated in the words of a resident of Gaur Valerio: "This water could contain larvae of dengue mosquitoes. It’s quite dangerous for our kids, as well as for the students of DPS.”