Delay in 3 flyovers likely to extend traffic woes in Delhi

Delhi's west elevated corridor project faces delays due to tree transplantation clearance, missing July deadline. Similar delays reported in other Delhi projects.

The timeline of the west Delhi elevated corridor — connecting flyovers at Club Road (Punjabi Bagh) and Moti Nagar — will be reworked and the project will be delayed as it awaits the final clearance for the transplantation of trees to clear the carriageway and widening of service roads, according to Public Works Department (PWD) officials.

With one carriageway of the Naraina flyover shut for repairs and the simultaneous expansion of the Club Road flyover in Punjab Bagh, massive jams are also being reported on Ring Road between Dhaula Kuan and Punjabi Bagh. (HT Photo)

The delay effectively means that the project will miss its deadline of July 31, and officials said that the department is unsure what the new deadline will be. The development came after the Delhi high court stayed the transplantation of 30 trees for the construction of the second flyover till July 29.

However, the west Delhi corridor is not the only project that has been delayed, pending approval for felling of trees. Similar delays have been also reported at Barapullah phase 3 in southeast Delhi, and the Nand Nagari flyover in northeast Delhi.

A commuter’s nightmare in west Delhi

The construction of the elevated corridor in west Delhi has led to the formation of two major bottlenecks that have choked traffic on the arterial stretch between Dhaula Kuan and Punjabi Bagh.

A senior PWD official said that to develop the Club Road flyover, more than 30 trees need to be transplanted or felled to clear the carriageway. “The new deadline has not been fixed but it will take at least another one month after we receive clearance to remove the trees. Meanwhile, we are focusing on completing the remaining stretch, shifting utilities and other components of the project such as subways and ramps. We will have to rework the timeline,” the official said.

HT had earlier reported that the Delhi high court stayed a notification permitting the felling of trees and directed to keep the notification in abeyance since the same involved the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act and the felling of trees in a deemed forest.

What makes things worse, said officials and commuters, is that one carriageway of the Naraina flyover (Mayapuri to Dhaula Kuan) has been shut for repairs. Vinay Maitreyi, a commuter moving from Dhaula Kuan to west Delhi said, “Why is all the work taking place at the same time? What about commuters? It is an everyday challenge for commuters to face this traffic chaos.”

HT reached out to the PWD official in-charge but he did not comment on the delay.

Yet another delay in Barapullah project

Officials said they are awaiting permission to cut around 270 trees around Sarai Kale Khan for the Barapullah phase 3 project, which is expected to ease traffic between Mayur Vihar Phase 1 and Sarai Kale Khan. The construction of this 3.5km stretch started in April 2015, but has suffered multiple delays since due to land acquisition issues (0.2 acres is still to be acquired). The project is more than 90% complete and it faces hurdles in the formal of clearance of bills and tree transplantation.

It was initially expected to be completed by October 2017.

HT reached out to the forest department which did not respond to queries seeking comments on the delays.

Traffic, lack of green nod hits NE Delhi project

Work on a 1.5-km flyover between Nand Nagri and Gagan Cinema junction on Mangal Pandey Marg in northeast Delhi has been delayed by 3-4 months. Work on this crucial corridor, which will be used by commuters travelling between north Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, was to be completed by June or July this year, but the deadline has now been pushed back to October 11, PWD said.

Ironically, PWD blamed the slow pace of work on the project — that has virtually brought traffic to a standstill — on heavy traffic delaying the installation of girders.

Officials also noted that a delay in the shifting of power and water utilities, and the fact that the agency is yet to receive permissions for felling 115 trees, has led to the setback.

A PWD status report on the project states that the work on shifting power lines is in progress, but permission for tree cutting is still awaited. The deadline has been pushed from July 31 to October 11.

Experts said courts have been staying projects in the city to bring simple operating procedures into place. “PWD was told by the high court in 2015 to ensure that the forest department is involved at the planning stage so that minimal trees are cut but to no avail,” environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari said.