Delhi: DDA starts process to get approvals for walk plans in six key areas
The six walk plans were given in-principle approval last month by the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC).
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is in the process of taking approvals from various stakeholders for the implementation of its six walk plans that were drafted as part of the walkability policy approved in 2019.
The six walk plans — for ITO junction, INA Market and Metro station, Hauz Khas-IIT-Delhi, Delhi university’s north and south campuses, Lajpat Nagar, and Kamla Nagar market — were given in-principle approval last month by the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC).
A senior DDA official said: “We have asked the consultant to incorporate the changes suggested by UTTIPEC, take the necessary approvals from various stakeholders, and prepare the drawings. This will be submitted to UTTIPEC again for final approval and shared with executing agencies. The process to finalise the drawings will take around two months.”
DDA officials said the six areas taken up in the first phase have high pedestrian volume and safety is a serious concern due to movement of high-speed traffic, especially at ITO junction, on Aurobindo Marg near INA, Ring Road and Outer Ring Road.
As part of its walk plans, DDA has proposed traffic-calming measures, wide pedestrian pathways, and cycling lanes in a radius of 500m around Metro stations.
At INA Market and the Metro station, DDA has proposed construction of a subway near the Barapullah flyover or a crossing to ensure smooth pedestrian movement between the Metro station and the Kidwai Nagar complex.
According to a senior DDA official, a proposal in this regard is being processed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) — INA Market is one of the main transit hubs planned by NCRTC for its Delhi-Alwar RRTS corridor.
The NCRTC spokesperson said, “Multimodal integration is central to the planning and implementation of RRTS. The INA RRTS station is one of the significant stations on the Delhi-Gurugram-SNB corridor. It will be integrated with the existing INA metro station, which caters to two Metro lines through an underground subway. The scheme of integration is being planned taking all stakeholders on board. Like other RRTS stations, here also the integration shall be provided ensuring seamless, safe and secure pedestrian movement from one mode to the other.”
The subway or a pedestrian crossing is proposed near the junction of Aurobindo Marg and Pandit Bhagwan Sahay Vats Marg. “The plan will be finalised after we get all the necessary approvals,” the spokesperson said.
DDA officials said the pedestrian footfall is very high at ITO due to offices and other institutions. It is also well-connected with Metro, railway, and other modes of public transport.
A large number of people, mostly living in nearby towns, use the suburban railway service for daily commute, and for them, Tilak Bridge near ITO is an important station. UTTIPEC has approved the plan to connect the ITO skywalk, which was made operational in 2018, with the foot overbridge at Tilak Bridge railway station.
A senior UTTIPEC official said, “This will provide thousands of people hassle-free access to ITO and Pragati Maidan Metro station. The consultant (roped in by DDA) will take all the necessary approvals and submit the final drawings.”
S Velmurugan, chief scientist, traffic engineering and road safety division at CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, said, “Pedestrian-friendly infrastructure around mass transit is the need of the hour. There is a need to connect all the modes of public transit to provide seamless connectivity. The proposal to connect the skywalk with the foot overbridge will benefit pedestrians a lot, as it will connect two modes of transport. There should be a provision for travelators on skywalks.”
The walk plans have proposed a pavement width of 1.8m to 2m in all the six areas. Areas such as Delhi university campuses (south and north), ITO , and popular markets such as Lajpat Nagar and Kamla Nagar have very high pedestrian footfall. DDA officials said that there are problems due to encroachment in Lajpat Nagar and Rao Tula Ram Marg and Benito Juarez Marg in South Campus area.
At Lajpat Nagar, DDA has proposed a separate hawking zone to address the issue of encroachment. “The consultant will address all the issues in the final drawings,” said an official.
DDA officials said walk plans are being prepared for 21 more locations such as Nehru Place, Bhikaji Cama, all ISBTs and the Karol Bagh market, among others.