The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) plans to build a 24-km cycling track along the Yamuna banks, which could become the city’s longest, stretching from the Old Railway Bridge near Wazirabad to National Highway 24 near Sarai Kale Khan.
The DDA has floated a tender for the first phase of the project, with the overall estimated construction cost pegged at around Rs 16 crore, an official said.
The official said the cycling track will be built using materials permitted in the Yamuna floodplain, with extensive greenery planned along the route.
Under the approved Delhi Master Plan 2047, the DDA has proposed promoting a ‘river-people connect’ and developing blue assets along around 50 km of the Yamuna.
Under the plan, the entire 52-km corridor will be developed in three phases, with the first covering the stretch from the Old Railway Bridge near Wazirabad to National Highway 24. In the first phase, the project will cover a 24km stretch between the Old Railway Bridge and NH-24 on both riverbanks.
According to the project details, a 75- to 100-metre-wide public greenway will be developed along the river’s western bank. It will feature cycling and walking trails, along with spaces for passive recreation, to improve public access to parks and the river and strengthen people’s connection to the Yamuna.
The cycling track will be developed outside the ‘active floodplain’, where certain recreational activities are permitted with the necessary approvals, the official added.
The proposed corridor will link several floodplain projects, including Baansera, Kalindi Biodiversity Park, Asita and Yamuna Vatika, along with other projects coming up along the river.
Earlier, the Delhi government had announced plans to develop the Yamuna riverfront on the lines of the Sabarmati Riverfront in Gujarat. The proposed development will include walking tracks, sports grounds and other recreational and public spaces, with the cycling track forming part of the larger plan.
The Yamuna flows 52 km through Delhi, including a critical 22-km stretch between Wazirabad and Okhla that is highly polluted and has been the focus of multiple planning and policy efforts.
The project is a key part of DDA’s larger plan to restore more than 1,700 hectares of the Yamuna floodplain into biodiverse, publicly accessible spaces. Officials said DDA has already undertaken 13 projects in the floodplain, several of which are complete, including Asita, Baansera, Kalindi Biodiversity Park, Yamuna Vatika, Amrut Biodiversity Park, and ghat development works. Other projects such as Mayur Nature Park and an eco-tourism zone are under development.