Murals, fountains to deck up Delhi-Meerut expressway
NEW DELHI: Replicasof Qutub Minar and Ashoka Pillar will greet commuters traveling on the Nizamuddin bridge that forms a part of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME). Similarly, murals and artificial fountains will be put up to beautify vacant spaces along the 8.71 km stretch from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has drawn up these plans for the beautification of the bridges, flyovers and underpass that falls on this stretch. “As part of the landscape beautification, efforts are being made to beautify the open unused land along the expressway from Nizamuddin Bridge to UP border. The intention is to present a pleasant experience when the people travel through the stretch,” DME project director R P Singh told The Sunday Standard.
The 2.5 m-tall Qutub Minar replica, which has been installed at the eastern entrance of the Nizamuddin Bridge, is made of terracotta blocks. The Ashoka Pillar, which is ready but yet to be placed, will be installed on the western entrance of the bridge.
Interestingly, the expressway will be touching Meerut from where one of the Ashokan pillars was brought on the order of Firoz Shah Tughlaq in 13th century so that it was installed in an area which now falls under Delhi Ridge. Another such Ashokan pillar is present in the Qutub complex.
On the first week of February, the NHAI invited proposals from artists for presentation of concepts. Once finalised, murals will come up on the walls all along the underpasses and flyovers between Delhi and the UP border.
“The theme of public art can be happiness, health and well being. The Nizamuddin to Ghazipur stretch passes through Yamuna floodplains, CWG village, Akshardham temple and Sanjay lake. So, we expect some proposals on themes which inspire physical activity and also drawings inspired by famous Madhubani art,” Singh said.
The expressway (also known as NH-9) will run parallel to National Highway 24. The NHAI plans to complete the first phase starting from Nizamuddin Bridge till Ghazipur-Delhi-UP border at an estimated cost of Rs 841 crore. Under the project, a total of four flyovers and three underpasses are coming up in the stretch.