In a bid to decongest various arterial roads in south Delhi, Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to carry out a feasibility study for construction of an elevated road to connect Barapulla elevated road near INA market to Chhatarpur.
The decision was taken after directions from Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who directed PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan to carry out a study on this stretch. If constructed, the elevated road would help decongest various roads connecting AIIMS, INA market, Dhaula Kuan and Qutub Minar besides significantly cutting down travel time for the motorists.
It will also decongest roads connecting Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had announced Government’s plan to construction of an elevated road between INA market and Chhatarpur in February.
PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chouhan told The Pioneer that the Chief Minister has asked us to carry out a study and we have started the process to appoint a consultant for it. “The Government has started the process of appointing a consultant to carry out the feasibility report for the project which will significantly cut the travel time between Chhatarpur and Sarai Kale Khan ISBT.
The project is likely to be connected with Barapullah elevated road near INA market. Currently, the work for the second phase of Barapullah elevated road connecting Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to INA is under construction. In the second phase, the road is being extended to INA market.
According to Chouhan, the plan is to connect the proposed elevated road with the Barapullah elevated road in INA which will facilitate seamless connectivity between Chhatarpur and Sarai Kale Khan in East Delhi.
“We are committed to improve the road infrastructure in Delhi and we will roll out a number of key projects soon to ease traffic volume in various arterial roads,” said Chouhan.
Chhatarpur MlA Balram Tanwar has demanded Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit at a public rally in his constituency in February to connect Chhatarpur to Barapullah elevated road to provide alternate road route to commuters in south Delhi.
However, officials said it will be a difficult project to carry out as the road will have to pass through Qutub Minar, a World Heritage Site, and no construction is allowed within a 100-metre radius of the monument. They said the road will have to also pass through Metro tracks IIT flyover and Hauz Khas flyover on the Outer Ring Road which will be a difficult proposition.
Beside this, if this elevated structure was to be extended to Chhatarpur, one of the first impediments would be the AIIMS clover-leaf flyover. Officials point out that bypassing this multi-level flyover will be difficult, as it will mean passing over residential areas like Kidwai Nagar. The presence of two major hospitals — AIIMS and Safdurjung Hospital — on either side of Aurobindo Marg would also pose a
problem.