The wanton destruction of the serene park has had two immediate fallouts: a memorial for the martyrs of Kargil has been reduced to dust, and the bird population at the Okhla barrage is threatened. Among the martyrs whose names will now be lost to history are Lt Vijayant Thapar (a local lad), Lt Saurabh Kalia, Captain Vikram Batra and Captain Haneefuddin. Trees dedicated to the air force personnel and several other deceased, from defence as well as civilian life, too have fallen prey to the CM’s flyover-building zeal. Says Noida resident Sajal Srivastava: "It’s grossly insensitive to the relatives of the martyrs that trees planted in their names are being uprooted in the name of development.’’
The birds will have no place either. Explains Nikhil Diwakar, founder of the Delhi Bird Society: "It is tragic. The Okhla barrage remains one of the last few such places, which attracts hundreds of visitors.’’ Unlike Delhi, no permission is required or clearances needed to demolish or ravage a declared green area or a bird sanctuary.
That the whole construction plan is being followed surreptitiously without a single signboard announcing the project has fuelled suspicions. Building flyovers in an area already well endowed with broad avenues and relatively little traffic boggles the mind. Some residents say only a thorough investigation can reveal what has been happening here. But that would be too much to expect from an administration that thinks nothing of damaging the surroundings of Taj Mahal.
