Overflowing sewage, illegal parking of taxis and vandalising of private properties have unfortunately become a usual affair for the residents of South Delhi's posh Vasant Vihar D block that shares its boundary with two slum clusters. This, according to the residents, pose health risks.

The D-6 lane abuts Nepali colony that has no separate sewer connection because of which all the sewer flows into the open drain of the locality, making it unbearable for the residents of the houses located near the drain to venture out of their homes.

Brig Harjeet Singh is one of those residents whose house is located right next to the open drain. "It is disgusting to see the sewage overflowing. The place is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and one day it can even lead to an epidemic. The place stinks and we residents are forced to keep our doors shut that open towards to the drain. We had reported this to all the civic agencies but they just keep on passing the buck."

Keshav Garg, president, Vasant Vihar D block RWA, said, "Despite paying an exorbitant amount as house tax we are made to live in such conditions. There are several anti-social elements in these slums and can cause harm to any of the residents."

Not just this, a DDA land has been turned into an open dump yard, where not only the garbage is dumped but is also used for open defecation. The ground has been made a dump yard by the dwellers of Bhanwar Singh camp. The residents also said that they made all the attempts to separate the camp from Vasant Vihar. High barriers that were earlier built had been broken by the slum dwellers.

"There is no separate entrance for the dwellers of the slum settlement and which is why they use the road of D block. They speed their vehicle through the narrow lanes of this residential area without caring if anyone is walking on the road. There was a plan to create a separate entry for these slum dwellers but the plan never got materialised," said Rajinder Maggu, vice-president, Vasant Vihar D block RWA.

Radhey Shyam Sharma, the councillor of Vasant Vihar, said, "The residents have come to me several times for a solution but it is the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) that has to take the action. It is the responsibility of the state government to provide sewer lines and water connection to these slum clusters. I had written to the DUSIB a couple of weeks ago but no concrete response has come from it. Once in a while I myself get the drain clear with help of MCD staff."