With the Delhi Assembly elections just a few months away, the State government has directed officials to put its project on fast track with the chief minister Arvind Kejriwal personally monitoring the progress of the projects.
One project is the construction of Barapullah Phase-3 Elevated Corridor, which was started in 2015 with an investment of Rs 1,260-crore.
The project has missed many deadlines, due to infrastructural challenges. However, the state government has asked PWD officials to resolve the issue and to complete the project on or before December this year. “Land acquisition was an issue but the minister has personally negotiated for land acquisition. Now with most of the problem resolved, we hope the project to be completed by the end of this year,” a senior PWD official told this publication.
Once completed, the project will link Sarai Kale Khan in South Delhi with East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar-1, reducing travel time by 20 minutes. Another project, which has been put on fast track is ‘multilevel parking cum commercial complex’ at Gandhi Maidan in Chandni Chowk. The project finally started in March. With a capacity to accommodate over 2,300 cars, the project will reduce traffic bottleneck in Old Delhi, making it tourist friendly.
The initial deadline was September 2020, but the government is planning to complete it ahead of the deadline. Also on the agenda is the modernization of Nehru Place Bus Terminal’s development, which is part of the seven bus terminal selected for getting facelift, it include making bus stops properly lit, to have proper shelters and deployment of CCTV and intelligent traffic information system, to match with the international standards.
Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot is also taking weekly review of the project and aims to complete it ahead of the elections.
The construction work of underpass along Mathura Road at Ashram Intersection, underpass between Nizamuddin Railway Overbridge and CSIR Apartments has also been put on fast track, which aims at easing traffic load on Ashram Intersection, one of the most cramped space for Delhi traffic.