After seven missed deadlines, the renovation and restoration (R&R) of Connaught Place has turned into a never-ending saga. Over the past few years, CP has been a site of continual redevelopment, starting with the initial digging for the Delhi Metro.
Even as the R&R was declared complete on June 30, visitors are welcomed to a circle of mess. Be it surface development, construction of subways, completion of service corridor or applying the final coat of paint, nothing appears to be in a stage of being accomplished by September 30, the new promise made by Engineers India limited (EIl) to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The civic agency has once again given EIl an extension of a month after which it is determined to take over the project in November.
Trumpeted as the showcase project for the Commonwealth Games 2010, it has been three years since the CWG, but the revamp is still at a crawl. “The EIl has said it would finish all major work by end-September. In October, the final paint job will be done. By November 2, before Diwali, CP and this project will be completely in our hands,” said Jalaj Shrivastava, Chairperson, NDMC.
Once the project is taken over by the civic agency, it has decided to prepare a dossier of all pending work and tasks ahead. “Once we are completely dissociated from EIl, I will personally take stock of what has been done and what needs to be done. There are many plans we are working on. We will be reviving the district cooling system (centralised air conditioning),” added Shrivastava. The plan of making CP centrally air conditioned at a cost of Rs 55.75 crore was mentioned in the first project report. However, in 2012, the Council turned it down.
Surface development work, officially declared ‘complete’ on May 15, is still being carried out in many blocks such as G, H, K and N. With slabs meant for flooring left wobbly and corridors dug up, shoppers run the risk of injury. “Walking in the middle and outer circle is a nightmare. Anyone not careful enough will have a nasty fall. Our business has plummeted by nearly 30 per cent,” griped Pawan Sharma, manager, Flavours of
China restaurant.
Shopkeepers complain not only about construction but of terrible traffic jams, erratic electricity and cuts to telephone and credit card machine lines, which add to their woes. But there have been some bright points — the arrival of the Delhi Metro, for instance.
But to take the subway in front of Statesman House or Gopal Das building, one would have to navigate debris piled high due to ongoing work. Although escalators have been recently installed in all subways, many are yet to be commissioned. A number of stairs leading to these subways do not have railings. Officials claim to have installed a total of 22 escalators out of which four are yet to start.
Roads have been dug and refilled, pavements sectioned off with hoardings, parking spaces removed and walls covered with scaffolding. Unpaved footpaths turn into mudslides after the rain, makeshift bridges balance on loose slabs of concrete and pedestrians pick their way around the circle, wary of putting a foot wrong. Some sections are not navigable, even on foot.
“Drainage system, fire fighting equipment and energising of electrical equipments are still underway. Seventy five per cent of the electrical work has been done; connection to individual units is still on. Water supply has now begun from the utility duct,” informed an NDMC official.
Timeline
Conceived: April 2004
Submission of Project
Report: February 2008
Approval from DUAC: November 2008
Project Started: May 2009
missed deadlines for completion:-
Deadline 1: October 2010 (Before CWG)
Deadline 2: 2011
Deadline 3: March 2012
Deadline 4: December 31, 2012
Deadline 5: February 2013
Deadline 6: April 2013
Deadline 7: June 2013
Budget estimate in 2005: `76 crore
Budget skyrockets in 2007: `671 crore
budget downsized: `477 crore