Barapullah Ph-III ripple effect: Siddharth Extension residents lose key route to south, central Delhi after loop closure

Heavy vehicular flow towards AIIMS has caused snarls at various points from Ashram to the loop that connects with the Barapullah corridor.

Traffic chaos caused by the opening of the Barapullah Phase-III flyover and subsequent traffic curbs on other key roads to streamline traffic movement across the national capital region (NCR) has had a cascading adverse effect on Siddharth Extension DDA Apartments, alleged residents, as authorities have shut an old loop of the Barapullah corridor that was extensively used by them to commute to south and central parts of Delhi.

The traffic police had initially suggested that motorists of the locality not use the ramp to climb the Barapullah corridor between 8am and 11am, but with the vehicular flow having considerably increased, the ramp is currently being closed throughout the day. (HT photo)

People residing in B and C pockets of Siddharth Extension said the closure has forced them to use an alternative route, which is a narrow 200-metre stretch that remains perennially choked, given that it merges with the Ring Road near the Gurdwara Bala Sahib where traffic from Ashram, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) Flyway and the Barapullah corridor converges.

“In the morning, it takes anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes to just move from the gurdwara to Barapullah. Then, there is a stop a few metres ahead, as vehicles from Noida, Mayur Vihar and Ashram converge,” said Rajkumar Mishra, a resident of Kilokri.

According to residents, Siddharth Extension DDA Apartments were built in early 1980s, when Asian Games were held in New Delhi. The neighbourhood has three pockets, A, B and C, comprising over 1,200 flats and over 4,000 residents. Earlier, there were at least two entry points to the society—directly from Ashram and from the Ring Road near the gurdwara.

“We had been using the ramp to merge with the traffic on the flyover after covering around 200 metres and taking a U-turn towards south Delhi. The loop was closed with barricades by the traffic police citing massive snarls on the Barapullah corridor since its newly inaugurated Phase-III flyover was opened for public use on Wednesday,” said Anand Attri, a 41-year-old resident of Pocket B, a regular commuter to Kapashera in southwest Delhi.

According to Attri, traffic police reportedly told residents that traffic flow was being disrupted due to vehicles taking a U-turn towards the Barapullah corridor from the loop, leading to snarls on the Ring Road.

“Why should residents of our Siddharth Extension suffer when the traffic mess is caused by the poor management of the government agencies concerned? Authorities should also consider the problems we are facing,” said Attri, adding that the ramp was constructed around 2019.

The traffic police had initially suggested that motorists of the locality not use the ramp to climb the Barapullah corridor between 8am and 11am, but with the vehicular flow having considerably increased, the ramp is currently being closed throughout the day. Residents of the colony complain that the entry and exit points, at both the Nizamuddin railway underbridge and Sunlight Colony, are choked.

“The roads are narrow, and there are haphazardly parked vehicles, rickshaws and vendors. For the residents, the Barapullah is the only exit and entry route that is accessible, particularly during emergencies,” said another resident, who resides in C Pocket, not wishing to be named.

Senior traffic police officers said the loop leading to the flyover has been shut because motorists taking a U-turn to merge with the moving traffic on the Barapullah corridor occupy 70-80% of the main carriageway, leading to a bottleneck.

“Apart from explaining the prevailing traffic situation and the fact that the ramp is allowed only for one-way traffic towards Siddharth Extension, we have also written to the Public Works Department (PWD) to create a wider curve towards the loop near the gurdwara for Siddharth Extension residents so that they don’t have to face bottlenecks on the Ring Road. Residents should also push for it through their MLA,” said a traffic police officer, asking not to be identified.

Rahul Saini, member of the Pocket B RWA said the team has had several rounds of meeting with the Traffic Police to ensure that the residents do not lose access to the Barapullah.

“We want the road to be accessible to us. We have requested the traffic police to ensure a guided u-turn for easy merger with the traffic on the bridge. Otherwise the PWD should provide an alternate route for the residents,” Saini said.