Rain exposes Barapullah flyover chinks

Commuters fear water may affect stability of elevated road

Barapullah flyover constructed before the 2010 Commonwealth Games and considered to be panacea for easing traffic flow by connecting Sarai Kale Khan to Jangpura is beset with the problem of waterlogging. Heavy downpour on Friday once again exposed the frailty of the “engineering design” of the flyover.

Chinks in the design of the Barapullah flyover were exposed as The Pioneer found there was water everywhere on the flyover after heavy rain in the national Capital. The enormity of the situation could be judged from the fact that there were waves atop the flyover while motorists moved across the flyover stretch submerged in at least a foot of water.

The waterlogging has put pertinent questions before the constructing agency, Public Works Department (PWD), that too when the second phase of the Barapullah flyover is to be opened for the public by July-end. Besides perennial traffic snarls at popular points, including Minto Road, Patparganj, Mayur Vihar and other places, the new surprise for Delhi commuters was heavily-flooded flyover.  Moreover, civil servants involved in designing and clearing the structure were not available to respond the querries raised by The Pioneer.

Meanwhile, commuters using the flyover are in fear as they feel that water could harm the flyover structure.

Importantly, the flyover also connects people from Delhi to Noida and vice-versa.

Asking question to authorities, Ankita Sexsena, working in a software company said waterloggin poses a threat for her and others as well. “I am a regular user of this flyover. Nobody can stop rain in monsoon but the authority should fix the problem immediately…,” said Sexsena.

Another commuter from Noida to Delhi, Abhishek Khetrapal, said it is not usual thing. “The flyover was constructed in a hurry, but engineers should not play with the lives of daily commuters. I am still hopeful that quick action by the PWD may sort the fault,” he said.

The Barapullah flyover had been of great help to the Noida residents who work in Gurugram and commute through this flyover. Commuters of Noida willing to avoid South Extension, Lajpat Nagar and Ashram snarls prefer this flyover.

Importantly, the project Barapullah was inaugurated during Shiela Dikshit’s regime. The project had the Cabinet approval of Rs 550 crore-Rs 475 crore for the construction cost estimate and Rs 75 crore for shifting services. However, the tender cost was done in Rs 435 crore, thereby saving a substantial amount.

Importantly, Delhi, the landlocked capital unlike Mumbai settled aligned to sea, does not require extra-ordinary engineering, especially the flyovers also termed as lifeline connecting one city to other.

The Capital’s infrastructure was much praised during the United Progressive Alliance-II regime when India was the host nation of the Commonwealth Games 2010.

Although the overnight constructions of flyovers and four-six lane flyovers gave capital a status of world class infrastructure outfitted city but heavy rain has narrated a different story on the road-infrastructure engineering.

While the administration has banned the entry of trucks taking care of pollution norms, thankfully as unusual logged water on said flyover is already challenging the life of iron supported cemented flyover.