On entering the subway that connects ISBT,Sector 17,and the Sector 22 market,the poor maintenance inside will force you to take another route to the bus stand. If you descend the staircase,there are chances that your feet might slip on the garbage strewn all over the area in the subway. Worse,you may directly fall into the uncovered manholes. The dirty debris,garbage and trash scattered all over will disgust you. The passers-by have spit paan all over,colouring the white walls red. Improper lighting is another problem that those taking the subway face while cleanliness seems to have been given a go by. Its been 15 years now since this subway was made. No attention is given to cleanliness and maintenance, pointed out Raj Kumar,one of the shopkeeper inside the subway. The Government is least concerned about the sustenance of the subway. We ourselves have to get the area cleaned every day,spending money from our own pockets, added an angry Kumar. There are 14 shops in all in the subway,out of which only five are open. The rest of the shops have remain closed for the past seven to eight years and have found no takers. The shopkeepers rue that not many people use the subway,as part of the way is blocked by beggars and people who sit and illegally sell bangles,wrist watches,key rings,posters,pens,notepads and many other things. These vendors,who sit illegally and occupy half the space meant for crossing the subway,easily earn more than us without paying anything. But even after paying a heavy rent for our shops,we are able to earn only Rs 400-500, pointed out a shopkeeper. In the rainy season,the conditions become worse as the walls leak. Moreover,the pump used to clean away the water that collects due to rains has been damaged,causing a problem of water blockage. Water keeps dripping during the rain. There have been incidents in the subway when pedestrians have fallen in the uncovered gutters while going down the stairs.
