Inordinate delay in completion of the ambitious Rani Jhansi Road Grade Separator project has cast a shadow on its fate. With acquisition of land from the railways stuck in limbo and the project cost escalating by 50 per cent, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) is thinking of either realigning the project or at worst scrapping it.
Officials said that only 30 per cent of the work has been completed so far. While the original cost of the project was estimated to be Rs 177 crore, it has over the years escalated to over Rs 260 crore.
A key Commonwealth Games project — the grade separator was scheduled to be completed by October 2010 — but the project is still pending land acquisition and also lacking a rehabilitation plan for the ones displaced from the area's tyre market.
Taking a serious note of the uncertainty, the Chairman of the Works Committee has sought the status report from Municipal Commissioner PK Gupta and has directed him to file it within a week.
"Conceived as a major infrastructure project, the grade separator has been a sheer waste of money so far. We may soon decide on realigning the project or even scrapping it, if the slow pace of work continues," said Ravinder Gupta, Chairman of the Works Committee in NDMC.
He said approximately Rs 70 crore has been spent on the project so far and going ahead with the project at this pace might incur additional Rs 200 crore. Commissioner Gupta received a letter from the Chairman of Works Committee, who sought reasons behind the delay in execution of the project and also asked Gupta to fix the responsibility for delay leading to massive cost escalation. Officials of the NDMC said the land acquisition from Railways is stuck due to monetary issues.
"While Railways have demanded Rs 38 crore for its land, the civic body is offering only Rs 11 crore for the same. Further, the authorities are yet to find a suitable place to relocate those displaced from the areas like tyre market, Azad Market and Model Basti. Some land was identified at Idgah and Jakhira, but they were found to be incapable of accommodating all displaced," said a senior official of NDMC said. For construction of grade separator on Rani Jhansi Road, several property owners in the tyre market, Railways and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) land were affected.
Now, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) tyre market has been shifted to Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar and the Railways has been offered land on Bhavbhuti Marg.
The land in Azad Market and Model Basti could not be acquired as the private owners demanded rehabilitation instead of compensation.
The project, which has quoted more than its fair share of controversies because of the long-standing delay and razing of several important structures to make way for its construction, was originally expected to be complete by well before the Commonwealth Games.
The Corporation is, however, yet to start full-fledged construction on the project. The NDMC leaders said that they have also approached the Union Urban Development Ministry to sort out the pending issues, but in vain. The foundation stone of the grade separator at Rani Jhansi Road was laid in 2008. The 1.6-km-long, four-lane grade separator is to be constructed from Tis Hazari courts to Filmistan cinema.
The project aims to decongest and ease traffic congestion on Rani Jhansi Road, Bara Hindu Rao, DCM Chowk, Azad Market and Baraf Khana Chowk, to reach St Stephen's Hospital, Subzi Mandi chowk and Azad Market Chowk.
This would benefit trans-Yamuna commuters by decongesting jam-prone areas around these two places.
While one arm of the grade separator comprising two lanes would open out to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, the other arm again comprising two lanes would open out to Barfkhana Chowk.