Delhi: After many broken vows, 2-decade wait for rly underbridge may end

NEW DELHI: After several years of delay, the Kishanganj railway underbridge may finally become operational on December 15 this year. North Delhi Municipal Corporation took such a decision after a joint visit to the site by mayor Jai Prakash and commissioner Sanjay Goel on Tuesday.
The fate of the project had been hanging in the balance for over two decades due to shortage of funds to complete it. In 2019, the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs agreed to provide 80% of the amount required to complete the pending work, including payments to Northern Railway. With elections due in 2022, the completion of incomplete projects is important for the municipal corporations.
“While Northern Railway has completed almost 90% of the work on the underbridge, we received Rs 10 crore from the urban affairs ministry recently and we will soon start the tendering process for the construction of roads on both sides of the facility,” said mayor Jai Prakash, who added that after the project is opened to use, commuters will get permanent relief from traffic problems in the area.
The mayor disclosed that the task of installing four push boxes by Northern Railway has been completed and 20 more days are needed to construct the sidewalls, level and connect the boxes properly. He said, “A joint pump house and drainage/ sewerage lines have also been developed to prevent groundwater and rainwater accumulating. During Tuesday’s survey, we directed the engineering department to ensure that the drain was desilted to allow the pump to operate properly.”
The project was proposed in 1998. Several revisions and re-revisions later, the north corporation was able to open only one push box instead of four. The underbridge is expected to decongest Sadar Bazar, Rohtak Road, areas in Walled City Extension and Azad Market. Of the four passes, two are meant for commuters wanting to avoid the main market/industrial area and the other two for locals visiting shops and residential areas.
The civic body has decided to start the work of beautification of Azad Market Chowk very soon, including planting of vertical gardens on flyover pillars, installing mosaic tiles and giving new coats of paint. Jai Prakash said, “We have plans for fencing and plantation around the compacting station below the Rani Jhansi Flyover. The vertical gardens on some of the pillars near Azad Chowk are looking shabby now and I have asked officials to install fresh flowerpots there.”