Flyovers at Punjabi Bagh, Moti Nagar delayed, says Delhi govt

Public Works Department minister Atishi directed PWD officials to ensure both constructions are completed by January 2024

Public Works Department minister Atishi on Thursday inspected the construction work of the flyovers on the Ring Road in west Delhi—at Moti Nagar and Punjabi Bagh—and said she was not satisfied with the work progress. The development work at both flyovers, which was initiate to decongest traffic on Ring Road in west Delhi, is behind schedule and the minister directed PWD officials to ensure both constructions are completed by January 2024.

The flyovers are part of the six-lane elevated corridor from ESI Hospital to Punjabi Bagh Club Road, the foundation stone for which was laid down by the former deputy chief minster Manish Sisodia in September 2022. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

“Punjabi Bagh and Moti Nagar flyovers are behind schedule. The people are being inconvenienced because of this delay. After the inspection, I have given an ultimatum to PWD officials to complete the work by January else strict action will be taken,” Atishi posted on X (formerly Twitter).

In an official statement, the minister’s office said that orders have been issued to expedite the remaining work by increasing the number of workers and machines. A weekly progress report will be submitted to the minister, the statement said.

The flyovers are part of the six-lane elevated corridor from ESI Hospital to Punjabi Bagh Club Road, the foundation stone for which was laid down by the former deputy chief minster Manish Sisodia in September 2022. It also includes the relocation of the existing subway ramp near ESI Hospital to both sides of the carriageway towards the service road.

A senior PWD official said that a bulk of the work on the Moti Nagar flyover has been completed and installation of a 50-meter steel girder over the intersection near the Bharat Darshan Park was pending. “Due to very heavy traffic at the intersection, work here is getting delayed. Girders are being installed on the Punjabi Bagh flyover but the pace of work has slowed down due to issues about shifting of a power line,” the official said.

Atishi said that the construction of the flyover was running behind schedule, causing traffic jams daily.

To be sure, the corridor between the Punjabi Bagh flyover and Raja Garden flyover is a part of the Ring Road, and records heavy traffic because it serves traffic from Haryana using the Rohtak Road (NH10). The key route also connects north Delhi to south Delhi and Gurugram. The existing road with flyovers and low-capacity intersections was not sufficient for the current traffic load, leading to congestion.

The scope of work also includes the improvement of subway ramps near ESI hospital towards the service road and development of drains, footpaths and strengthening and beautification of existing roads by installing street art-work. “Over 125,000 vehicles pass through two flyovers every day and once the project is complete it is estimated to lead to an annual saving of 1.8 million litres of fuel,” the official added.

The new corridor will also provide seamless connectivity between Dhaula Kuan in south Delhi to Azadpur in north Delhi. The infrastructure planning arm of DDA—the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (planning and engineering) Centre cleared the project in December 2020. The expenditure finance committee of the Delhi government provided the financial approval for the project on May 10, 2022.