Shaheen Bagh residents and shopkeepers of Tayyab Masjid lane at 8 number are seething with frustration, claiming that their street was dug up nearly six months ago during Ramzan for sewer work and has been left in a state of utter disrepair ever since. What was supposed to be a short-term civic project has turned into a prolonged nightmare, leaving the once-bustling lane resembling more a construction site than a functioning public road.

The open trenches, stagnant water, and dangerously uneven road have turned daily life into an ordeal for residents of Shaheen Bagh’s Tayyab Masjid lane. Four-wheelers can no longer pass through, forcing many Shaheen Bagh residents to take long, alternate routes just to reach their workplaces or carry out basic errands. What was once a busy thoroughfare has become a neglected hazard zone.

Local businesses have borne the brunt of this civic apathy. Footfall has dropped drastically, as customers now avoid the risky, half-dug path altogether of this Shaheen Bagh road. Shopkeepers speak of mounting financial losses, with some on the verge of shutting down after months of declining sales. For residents especially children, the elderly, and women the street is a daily challenge, riddled with muck, debris, and the constant threat of slipping or injury.

Our voices have gone unheard: Shaheen Bagh residents

And when it rains, the situation deteriorates further. Despite multiple appeals, repeated complaints, and desperate pleas to their elected MLA, Amanatullah Khan, Shaheen Bagh residents said their voices have gone unheard.

 “We have been troubled for many days because of this road. It was dug up during Ramzan. It has been at least five to six months now. We pay around ₹13,000 to ₹14,000 in monthly rent, and still this road isn’t getting repaired. We bring construction debris and dump it here, yet these people remove it again. The waterlogging is severe. We suffer huge losses. Tenants don’t care where the rent comes from. We still have to pay it. These are the kinds of problems we’re all facing,” said trader Sultan Ahmad:

Another Shaheen Bagh-based trader Shamim said: “This road has been dug up for six months. We have two to three shops inside this lane. I am paying around ₹60,000 in monthly rent. I had taken one shop by paying ₹2.5 lakh, and I had to sell the goods for almost nothing. I couldn’t even recover ₹10,000. During Ramadan, I brought goods worth ₹22,000. I have closed my two shops. Everyone said this lane wouldn’t be dug up. When it finally got dug, everything got destroyed. Both of my shops shut down. I have suffered so much loss till today, and no one knows. Every day they say the road will be repaired, but nothing is happening. No one is here to speak up or to listen. So many people keep falling on this road … we are living like animals.”

Trader Mohammad Muzammil said: “I run a roti shop here. It’s been almost six months since the road was dug up. In these six months, the condition of work has completely deteriorated. What should I say? About 90 per cent of my business is gone. I just request the government to resume the work as soon as possible.”

Business hit hard due to incomplete work

Trader Mohammad Danish said: “I run a business on this Tayyab Masjid road. The digging started here on the first day of Ramzan. The road hasn’t been completed till now. The sewer lines they laid are uneven some places are low, some places are high. The water will never flow properly. After digging, they just left it like that. Commuting has become extremely difficult for people here. Elderly people fall frequently.

Another shop owner who runs a small eatery business on this stretch said: “Customers don’t come. We prepare goods, they go to waste. I sell perishable items like samosas. Before the road was dug up, my sales used to be good. Now it’s ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 sometimes ₹2,000. What will happen with that? I still have to pay ₹15,000 in rent.”

A resident, Abdul Aziz, said the inordinate delay in completing the sewer-laying work has caused unimaginable hardship for the residents. “The road has been like this for around six months. You can see it yourself. We request Amanatullah Khan to come here, take a look, and assess the condition. During the rain, the drains overflow and the water has nowhere to go and it becomes nearly impossible for it to drain out.”

Another resident, Gulfam, said: “They began digging this road at the start of Ramzan to carry out repair work. But the sewer lines were laid without proper leveling. There was no junior engineer, no supervising official as only labourers were present. Not even a contractor was on-site. They just brought in JCBs, dug up the road, and laid pipes haphazardly. No one knows whether the lines are properly leveled or not. Now, people are falling, breaking their legs, getting injured. This entire market has been destroyed. Many people who had rented shops have shut them down and left. If the situation continues like this, many more shops will close. This is the condition here. Children go to school in the morning. Their mothers, sisters, fathers take them. Even they are facing great trouble while commuting.”

I have tagged Amanatullah Khan so many times: Shaheen Bagh resident

Shaheen Bagh resident Haider said: “We’ve requested the MLA several times to complete the road urgently. On Fridays, it becomes very difficult for worshippers to go for prayer. People are going to the mosque with mud-stained slippers, and their clothes are getting splashed. This is how they’re entering the mosque. I request the MLA to please get this road completed as soon as possible.

“I have tagged Amanatullah Khan so many times. I’ve filed complaints but there is no response from him or his followers. He hasn’t come here even once to check. There’s a school here Rahman Public School. Children come here to study. Their mothers come every day, and they fall here. It’s been six months. Amanatullah Khan doesn’t even want to get the road built. Why hasn’t he come here even once for a visit? His team doesn’t come either they just take photos and leave. What does Amanatullah Khan really want: He should tell us? We are suffering so much beyond limits…”