In a bid to decongest the areas around Maharaja Bada, the Municipal Corporation is likely to start work on a 200 meter long and 30 feet wide tunnel. The proposed tunnel will pass through Bada, connecting the Scout Guide premises with Sarafa Bazar.
According to the official sources in the Municipal Corporation, the tunnel seeks to decongest the areas around Bada, and is expected to accommodate about 20000 two wheelers every day. The initiative is likely to ensure seamless traffic besides minimizing air pollution, which is fast becoming a big menace, and providing relief to the thousands of pedestrians who throng the area every day. It is also expected to lessen traffic jams in the area. The officers of the Smart City project have already shown a presentation of this project to Urban Development and Housing Minister, Maya Singh and Vinod Sharma, the Municipal Commissioner.
The sources further said that the DPR of the Smart City Project isready. Bids for the proposed project with an expected total cost of Rs 20 crores will be accepted till June- end, and work order is expected to be released in the first week of July. Work on the sub-way is likely to commence in August. The proposed project has also provisions for an underground parking in front of the Scout Guide premises in order to cater to the vehicular traffic in this area. The planned tunnel will pass alongside the underground parking.
Speaking to the media persons, Mahip Tejaswi, the CEO of the Smart City Project said that work on the proposed tunnel and underground parking will commence in August and is expected to be completed in two years’ time. He added that once the work is complete all the vehicles will pass underground while the visitors to Bada will have freeway of the streets above. He also said that vehicular movements will not be stopped during the construction period; vehicular traffic will be diverted according to the need of the day.