NEW DELHI: With the Chandni Chowk beautification and pedestrianization project moving towards completion, the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) is set to take up redevelopment work for decongestion of another significant road — Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (SPM) Marg — in the walled city area.
A government official said that an integrated traffic management scheme is also being worked upon for about 2.2 kilometre- long-stretch starting from Hanuman Temple-Ring Road to Pul Mithai. The project has been on the agenda of the authorities for more than a decade, however, it couldn’t be executed in totality earlier. The work to improve the central verges and footpaths was to begin in 2010 around the Commonwealth Games but only a corridor for slowing non-motorised vehicles (NMVs) — cycle rickshaws and hand carts — was built.
The remaining plan has been on the papers since then and nothing concrete on the ground has happened since then other than a few surveys. “After Chandni Chowk, the next project will be decongestion of SPM Marg. In the next SRDC meeting, we will hopefully finalise its design,” said the official. One of the arterial stretches in the walled city, SPM Marg along the old Delhi railway station is an important link for rail travelers and customers coming to wholesale markets in the its vicinity such as Naya Bazaar, Sadar Bazaar, Khari Baoli, and also Chandni Chowk market.
Nearly 250 trains originate, terminate or pass through the railway station every day, which receives more than 2.5 lakh passengers daily. According to officials and consultants, encroachment on the pavements or in NMV lanes, unauthorised parking, and alignment of the road are the issues leading to the congestion on the road. For its revitalisation, the authorities have proposed segregation of NMV lanes, wider footpaths, improvement of the junctions for efficient traffic flow, and designated areas for the hawker areas to prevent encroachment.
A plan to relocate bus terminals at HC Sen Marg (Phuwwara Chowk) and SPM Marg off the main road is also under consideration, said an official of North Delhi Municipal Corporation. “Appropriate locations and designs for bus shelters are being planned for which the authorities will also talk to the railways administration concerned. To enhance aesthetics along this stretch, better public amenities such as toilets, dust bins, garbage collectors nd street furniture besides improved street lighting are also proposed,” said the govern ment official.