NHAI plans drain along Badarpur elevated road

Officials said the ₹24.48-crore plan is expected to be executed within six months, with the tendering process likely to be completed by early November.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is working on a plan to construct a 4.35km-long drainage system along the Badarpur Elevated Highway in southeast Delhi, in a project aimed at ending years of waterlogging on the busy stretch and surrounding neighbourhoods. Officials said the ₹24.48-crore plan is expected to be executed within six months, with the tendering process likely to be completed by early November.

Residents were rescued last month after Badarpur khadar got inundated during heavy rains. (File photo)

According to NHAI’s project report, the new system will run across sections of the highway in both Delhi and Haryana. It will comprise precast drains with a depth of two metres and a width of two metres, designed with high load-bearing capacity.

Once completed, officials said, it will ease the chronic waterlogging that plagues Mathura Road, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Badarpur village and adjoining areas during the monsoon.

South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the construction work is expected to be inaugurated on September 27 by Union minister of state for road transport and highways, Harsh Malhotra. He added that the project was cleared after he met Union minister Nitin Gadkari on September 9.

“The drainage along Mathura Road was built decades ago and is now overwhelmed by the outfall of several large residential colonies such as Tajpur Pahadi, Molarband Extension, Badarpur Extension, Badarpur village and Mohan Baba Nagar, where lakhs of people live. This has resulted in waterlogging of up to 3–4 feet during heavy rains. The new system will take the load off Mathura Road drains and serve as a permanent solution,” Bidhuri said.

He added that the existing drainage has not been desilted in over a decade, making it prone to frequent chokes. “This year, despite desilting as a temporary measure, record rainfall again led to flooding. The new drain is being designed with a lifecycle of 30–40 years and will permanently address the issue in the region,” he said.

Bidhuri also said that on September 28, a new foot overbridge at Molarband Extension will be inaugurated. The bridge, which connects Delhi to Haryana’s Faridabad Sector 37, is expected to significantly improve pedestrian safety. “Thousands of students cross this stretch daily and several accidents have been reported in the past. This bridge will make mobility between Delhi and Faridabad much safer,” he said.