Gurgaon: From next week, expect the perennial congestion at
Rajiv Chowk and
Signature Tower Chowk to reduce considerably. The much-awaited underpasses at the two busy intersections on Delhi-Gurgaon expressway will be finally thrown open to traffic on January 22, officials said. The two underpasses will be inaugurated by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in the presence of junior Union highways and road transport minister Mansukh L Mandaviya, officials from the district administration and CM's office said.
With the opening of the Rajiv Chowk underpass, people coming from old Gurgaon will be able to proceed towards Sohna road with ease. Similarly, people approaching from Sohna road will be able to reach the district court without being stuck in the congestion at the crossing. And the Signature Tower
underpass will similarly ensure smooth traffic flow from Atul Kataria Chowk to Huda City Centre and Gymkhana Club, and vice versa.
TOI has reported that the opening of the two underpasses — which was originally slated for January 20 — was delayed due to infighting in the state BJP, with the Gurgaon MP and the local MLA locking horns over the inauguration. MP Rao Inderjit Singh wanted central minister Nitin Gadkari to inaugurate the projects, and not the CM.
However, Rao Inderjit made a U-turn Thursday, saying the inauguration was delayed "due to some technical faults at Rajiv Chowk underpass". "It had nothing to do with getting VIPs available for the inauguration on January 20," he said.
But the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was quick to refute his claims, asserting both the underpasses are ready for opening.
"The safety committee has submitted its report to NHAI and no fault was found. There is nothing wrong in the design, architecture, or any issue of waterlogging at Rajiv Chowk underpass," said Saurabh Singhal, traffic transportation expert at Bloom Companies, the project's contractor.
State PWD minister and Badshapur MLA Rao Narbir Singh said, "With the introduction of these two underpasses, people will no longer face the problem of traffic jams at these two crossings."
The two underpasses, along with another one at Iffco Chowk, are being constructed by NHAI to decongest the expressway and ensure smooth traffic flow from one side of the city to another. By the time they are finished, the mammoth project will have cost the exchequer Rs 1,000 crore, including Rs 734.45 crore for just the underpasses and another Rs 300 crore for related works.
The work on these underpasses started in 2016 and it was supposed to be completed within 30 months. However, the work atthe underpasses at Rajiv Chowk and Signature Tower Chowk has been done in only 13 months' time. The third underpass at Iffco Chowk is still under construction.
