NEW DELHI: Disturbed by the prospect of Delhi Metro opting for elevated rail corridors in their neighbourhood, residents and traders' associations in Defence Colony here have written to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention.

Pointing out that the elevated stretch of the Metro would affect their earnings and livelihood, the traders' association of the Defence Colony flyover market is even considering seeking legal recourse.

"We have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee who heads the Group of Ministers and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation but there has been no response. We are now thinking of moving court," said Rajiv Babbar, president of the Defence Colony Flyover Market Association.

"The fate of 174 shops under the Defence Colony flyover hangs in the balance. The shops are a means of livelihood for us. Our area is a high traffic zone, and with the Metro going over-ground the chaos will increase and the car park, which has a capacity of 200 cars will be sacrificed to accommodate the pillars that will hold the tracks."

Pointing out that the elevated section would affect the environment and the aesthetics in this part of the city, a resident of Defence Colony, Kokila Rangachari, said: "The residents of Defence Colony, Kailash Colony and Greater Kailash have been greatly disturbed. We are not against the Metro, which is a fast and efficient mode of transport, but we are opposed to the move to have it over the ground."

In the memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, the local residents said: "We are extremely concerned that the line starting from Central Secretariat and ending at Badarpur will be underground only till Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium -- areas that are sparsely populated. Its elevated section will then pass through the crowded residential colonies of Jangpura, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Moolchand, Kailash Colony, East of Kailash as it moves to Badarpur. An elevated line through these densely populated residential colonies will not only erode the environment, skyline, and greenery of the area, it will also be a blot on our landscape for all times to come. It will cause enormous noise pollution and jeopardise our privacy ."

Another local resident said while the DMRC had already altered the plan to go for elevated corridors in Shanti Niketan and near Qutub, it had so far not responded to their petition.

The residents fear that the impact of "this intense commercialisation on the liveability in these residential colonies will be disastrous. There will be a degradation of our residential colonies, with intensification of parking problems, traffic movement and high levels of noise pollution".

The resident complained that while an additional transport system -- the High Capacity Bus System -- was already under construction for the same areas, the proposed elevated Metro would further compound the problems of the residents.

Reacting to DMRC's response that it cannot go underground owing to financial constraints, Ms. Rangachari said: "If we can afford to spend Rs. 7,000 crore for the Commonwealth Games, should Rs. 800 crore be a deterrent for the DMRC to go underground?"

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