Delhi's AIIMS, Safdarjung to be declared no-hawker zone
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has said that the Ring Road and Aurobindo Marg near AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospitals will be declared a no-hawker zone. The move is aimed at streamlining traffic movement outside the hospitals so that patients, doctors, and ambulances coming to the medical institutes get easier access and other commuters do not face any hassle. 
Dozens of street vendors will have to take their wares elsewhere as authorities in Delhi are gearing up to clear the perennial congestion near the neighbouring hospitals AIIMS and Safdarjung.The area will be turned into a "no hawker zone" as the encroachers cripple traffic movement and also get in the way of emergency vehicles.Lieutenant governor Anil Baijal has directed the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) chairman to take control of the Ring Road and Aurobindo Marg stretches from the Public Works Department (PWD).The move by the L-G follows repeated complaints from Safdarjung Hospital authorities that doctors and patients get delayed in reaching the institute on time as they get stuck in traffic outside.Dr AK Rai, director of Safdarjung Hospital, told Mail Today, "I have been getting complaints from patients' relatives, doctors and other hospital staff on being late in reaching the hospital when it's the need of the hour. Every day, it is the same issue and one gets stuck in traffic for nearly 20 minutes."A meeting was held on Monday with the Safdarjung director and Naresh Kumar, the civic council chief."The NDMC chairman formed a committee including officials and experts from the council, Delhi traffic police and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). These two road stretches - Ring Road and Aurobindo Marg -would be now declared as no-hawker zone strictly," Dr Rai informed.The emergency wards of both the hospitals are crowded with critically ill and trauma patients every day and ambulances coming from the Ring Road side always get stuck because it is highly congested during peak hours, said a doctor."For us, the main issue is to improve the traffic movement," Naresh Kumar told Mail Today. "We are looking for temporary, medium and long-term solutions. Delhi traffic police will manage the traffic movement at the bus and auto-rickshaw stands." "Moreover, most of the space on the road is occupied by private cabs. At the time of monsoon, there should be no traffic jam at Ring Road and Aurobindo Marg. All unauthorised hawkers will be removed from the entire zone," Kumar added.Heavy rains cause massive waterlogging at the entire stretch every year. Hordes of street vendors and hawkers are running their business illegally in the area and blocking the way, said Kumar."Our main focus is to improve the road infrastructure. From now onwards, Aurobindo Marg is under the jurisdiction of NDMC," he iterated.The Safdarjung Hospital director too pointed out that a rapid rise in the number of illegal vendors has created a bottleneck outside the hospital."It is advisable to shift the bus stop on Ring Road side and shops in the subway of the Ring Road and Aurobindo Marg. Proper pedestrian path should be made," said Dr Rai.Echoing similar views, Dr DK Sharma, medical superintendent of AIIMS, underscored the importance of streamlining traffic movement in such a manner that patients and doctors coming to the hospital get a smooth passage and pedestrians and other commuters too do not face hassles.ALSO READ |