Persistent leakage leaves RTR underpass inundated, slippery

Inaugurated to decongest parts of south Delhi near Daula Kuan about four years ago, the underpass has had drainage problems since its inception.

The monsoon in Delhi ended more than two and a half months ago, yet the RTR underpass, a key link connecting south Delhi’s Benito Juarez Marg with San Martin Marg and Ring Road, remains stubbornly waterlogged. Its walls, roof and even side panels continue to drip, leaving long stretches of the underpass slippery and hazardous for commuters.

HT had reported in March about the drainage mess at RTR that continues to persist even after several rounds of repair works. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Inaugurated to decongest parts of south Delhi near Daula Kuan about four years ago, the Y-shaped 1.2km long underpass has had drainage problems since its inception, but commuters say the problem has gotten much worse over the past few months.

HT had reported in March about the drainage mess at RTR that continues to persist even after several rounds of repair works.

During a spot check on Monday, HT found that the underpass still had multiple issues. The roof of the underpass -- the underside of the Ring Road section -- was leaking with a constant stream of water trickling down. The road surface here was slippery even though Delhi has not seen any rain since the past two months. The damp road surface has in turn developed several potholes and the side drains are choked with debris and waste. The constant trickling from the walls and ceiling left parts of the underpass fully waterlogged..

Fixing these issues will require coordination among three agencies — the Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). This is because three separate water lines run above the section of the underpass connecting Benito Juarez Marg and San Martin Marg. One of the pipelines is owned by NDMC, another by DJB that links to the Haiderpur water treatment plant, and a third, a 900mm pipeline, maintained by PWD.

A PWD official said the water pipelines pass under the road above the tunnel, beneath the Durgabai Deshmukh metro station.“One of these lines over the underpass has a major leak, and water is pouring down from the top. The DJB line from the Haiderpur plant supplies water to several areas of west Delhi,” official said.

DJB did not respond to queries about the seepage in RTR.

An NDMC official said rectification work on its pipeline began on Monday. “We have repaired the identified leak points. Once supply resumes between 1am and 4am, we will monitor the line again,” the official said.

Meanwhile, commuters continued to suffer. Rakeh Sahu, 43, an app based delivery agent heading towards Satyaniketan, said the slippery road and curves make it difficult to navigate and may lead to an accident anytime. “The water has been seeping from the walls for several weeks now. There are potholes on the road and sanitation is quite poor. Such large projects should have better maintenance,” he added.

The RTR underpass, plagued by problems since opening, is the second phase of the Rao Tula Ram project approved in 2013. The first phase, the RTR flyover, was inaugurated in July 2019 after several delays. The main tunnel is 526 metres long and connects to three ramps: 351 metres on Benito Juarez Marg, 176 metres on San Martin Marg and 200 metres along Ring Road.

The project missed at least eight deadlines. After the Cabinet nod in 2013, construction work on the project began in November 2015, and remained stuck for over 2.5 years due to the delay in shifting several high-tension wires that power a railways traction substation in the area.

Between 2015 and 2018, the executing agency was only able to complete 35% of the work on the underpass. The original project cost was estimated at ₹102.4 crore, but the delay, cost of shifting utilities and tree-cutting inflated it to ₹143.8 crore.