If there is one project which has become a permanent feature of the subsequent budgets of the erstwhile MCD and now the North Delhi Corporation, it is the Rani Jhansi Grade Separator in Central Delhi.
Conceived as a key Commonwealth Games project, the civic body has far only managed to complete 45 per cent of the work even three years after the Games. Earlier this year, while presenting the revised budget estimates for the year 2013-14 in the House of North Delhi Corporation, Standing Committee Chairman Mohan Bhardwaj had said, 45 per cent work of the grade separator has been completed while the foot overbridge (FOB) connecting the grade separator to the adjacent market is almost complete. “Both projects are likely to be completed by 2014-15,” he said.
The project, which has courted more than its fair share of controversies because of inordinate delay, was started in the year 2008 and was scheduled to be completed well before the CWG. 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. As officials said the project was delayed due to non-acquisition of land from the railways for rehabilitating the displaced from tyre market, Azad Market and Modal Basti in the area. A senior official said approximately Rs 100 crore have been spent on the project so far and going ahead with the project at this pace might incur additional Rs 200 crore. Officials said the land acquisition from railways is stuck over monetary issues. While railways have demanded Rs 38 crore for its land, the civic body is offering Rs 11 crore for the same. The 1.6-km-long four-lane grade separator is being constructed from Tis Hazari courts to Filmistan Cinema. The project aims to de-congest areas like Rani Jhansi Road, Bara Hindu Rao, DCM Chowk and Azad Market.
Another project facing unending delay is the underground multi-level parking at Munirka. With the capacity of accommodating 400 cars, the project was started nearly seven years ago in 2006. However, officials said the project is still far from being operational despite putting in nearly Rs 100 crore for construction work. Similarly, another underground parking lot at Hauz Khas is incomplete. However, the project was inaugurated in 2012 by BJP leader Arun Jaitley before the Municipal Polls. The 360-cars capacity underground parking lot was conceived in 2008. Constructed at the cost of Rs 31.4 crore, the underground parking was also scheduled to be completed before the CWG.