Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood conducted inspection of various key locations in Narela Assembly Constituency on Monday to accelerate the pace of development and address long-pending civic and educational concerns in the area. He was accompanied by the local MLA, the Director of Education and officials from concerned departments including the fire services and municipal agencies.
The inspection began with a visit to the long-neglected Narela fire station. Sood expressed strong displeasure over the non-operational status of the facility, which has remained unused for several years. Blaming the previous administration for the neglect, the minister directed fire department officials to ensure swift cleaning and completion of the remaining construction work. He emphasised that the station must be made operational without further delay to ensure the safety of residents in the area.
Highlighting the need for functional preparedness, the minister ordered the deployment of one large and one small fire engine at the station. He noted the space constraints and the nearby bustling market, pointing out that a large fire engine may not be able to maneuver through congested areas during emergencies. A smaller vehicle, he stressed, is crucial for quick access and rapid response.
The inspection continued to the proposed site of a new Government school in Bankner. Interacting with local residents, Sood was informed that the designated land — currently owned by the Gram Sabha — is located around 4 kilometres from Swatantra Nagar and becomes waterlogged during the monsoon season. Villagers raised concerns over inadequate access roads and the safety of school-going girls, who would be forced to navigate through unsafe terrain daily.
Responding to these grievances, Sood questioned the logic behind the site selection made by the previous government. He suggested the allocation might have been influenced by political considerations rather than the welfare of the community. Taking immediate action, he instructed the Director of Education to cancel the proposed location and identify a more accessible and safer site for the school. He assured the villagers that the Government would ensure a school is constructed at a suitable location before the end of the current term.
Sood also reviewed the land proposed for the expansion of Swami Shraddhanand College. He asked the college principal to officially request the Directorate of Education to initiate tasks such as tree removal and boundary wall construction through the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University. Furthermore, he recommended establishing a dedicated women’s college under the Swami Shraddhanand College umbrella on the same plan to improve higher education access for young women in the region.
He directed the Director of Education to address the existing infrastructural shortcomings promptly to ensure the facility is fully operational and available for youth and community engagement.
