Work on underpass at Mukarba Chowk underpass moving slow

The Mukarba Chowk project was launched by then-deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on September 27, 2022.

Just 15% work has been completed on underpass project at Mukarba Chowk on the Outer Ring Road in the last 14 months, officials aware of the matter said on Monday, and added that the shifting of high-tension power lines has emerged as major hurdle in the project.

The critical traffic junction used by both local traffic as well as commuters headed towards Haryana (HT Photo)

On September 12, HT reported that the project has run into several delays, and was set to miss its October deadline as only 10% of the work had been completed by then. A large number of underground power lines and natural gas lines pass along the alignment of the underpass.

Officials said that the Public Works Department (PWD) is constructing three underpasses at a cost of ₹59.5 crore at the critical traffic junction used by both local traffic as well as commuters headed towards Haryana.

The main underpass is being built near gate number 3 of Haiderpur-Badli Metro station to facilitate pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles. The second one will be constructed for commuters travelling between Badli and Shalimar Bagh and the third will be for movement of heavy vehicles from Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar to Azadpur. The main underpass is nine metres wide — five metres for non-motorised vehicles and four metres for the pedestrians. The second one, a 50-metre-long underpass, will be for vehicles coming from Badli on Outer Ring Road towards Shalimar Bagh. Currently, vehicles from Badli towards Shalimar Bagh on Outer Ring Road have to use a loop on the main Mukarba Chowk. With the new underpass, the travel distance will be reduced by 1.5 km.

Launched in September last year, the underpass was initially expected to be completed by in 12 months.

According to the PWD project report, nearly 15% work has been done on the project.

“Work is affected due to non-shifting of utilities. Despite continuous efforts, Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) is taking more time than expected. During the last meeting, the expenditure with respect to the shifting of high-tension power lines was also finalized,” the report said. An IGL official said that the shifting of gas pipelines by the IGL has now been completed and the site has been handed over to PWD.

The relocation of power lines is likely to take much more time with fund allocation for the work expected to take some time.

A power distribution company spokesperson told HT that the relocation of power lines at Mukarba Chowk is an “extensive project” for which a plan has been shared with PWD. “However, funds are awaited to begin the project,” official said.

A senior PWD official said that the expenditure was finalised in September, but did not comment on why the funds were not being provided to the power discom.

The project was launched by then-deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on September 27, 2022. However, soon after the launch, the project run into a land transfer dispute with the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department. However, lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena on July 7 approved the transfer of a 1.2-acre plot of land from the I&FC department to PWD.