Day after toddler’s death, business as usual at congested Badli Road

Barely hours after an SUV ran over a toddler on the road leading to Siraspur village in north-west Delhi, nothing seems to have changed on the ground.

A visit to Samaypur Badli’s congested lanes, the site of Sunday’s tragedy, found children still playing near the same stretch, oblivious to the dangers that persist.

Rampant encroachments by roadside car washing units and visitors to nearby nurseries have turned the stretch into a potential death trap, where accidents have become commonplace. Poor traffic discipline continues to add to the risk.

The road, beginning at Bawana main road and skirting the Badli industrial area before ending at Siraspur village, remains choked with illegally parked vehicles. Much of the congestion is due to numerous nurseries and car washing outlets, most of which reportedly operate without valid permits. These establishments draw water from the Western Yamuna Canal running parallel to the road.

During a visit by this correspondent on Monday, several children, barely two to three years old, were seen playing on the roadside barely 50 metres from Sunday’s accident spot.

“Most families here are migrant workers employed in nearby factories. Parents work in shifts and struggle to supervise their children, who often wander onto the road,” said Deepak Singh, an employee at a nursery nearby.

Another resident, Channo Devi, who hails from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, said the incident had left her deeply shaken. “Most of the cars come here for washing or nursery shopping from upscale housing sectors 15 to 18. They care little for poor people like us,” she said.

“Children have nowhere safe to play,” added Samsher Singh, a street vendor selling fritters. Gesturing towards a group of toddlers running nearby, he said, “Cars and washing pipes block every corner and no one seems to monitor the place.”

A 14-month-old boy was hit by a speeding car near Balaji Nursery along Siraspur Road on Sunday.

“He suffered severe injuries and was rushed to Burari Hospital, where doctors declared him dead,” a police officer said. The driver, identified as Samar Choudhary, has been arrested.