He further added that the work on the tunnel construction and corridor development project at Pragati Maidan is also nearing completion and will soon be inaugurated. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Sunday inaugurated the much-delayed Ashram underpass and said that the structure was expected to help reduce 6.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and 3,600 kg of carbon gas release, besides cutting down on fuel usage by 1,550 litres per day. The underpass will pass through Bhogal and New Friends Colony.
“Now, the commute between Delhi-NCR, Faridabad, Badarpur will be smooth and the residents of Jangpura and Kalkaji will benefit a lot. The 450-metre underpass will also help commuters save fuel and time,” Sisodia said.
The AAP leader, who also holds the portfolio of public works, said, “Engineers told me that commuters lose 1,550 litres of petrol on a daily basis just by waiting at the red light and due to the traffic jam. The long jams and congestion also produce 6.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the form of vehicular pollution which impacts the health of residents. Now, with the opening of the underpass, the residents will benefit a lot and will save money, time and energy.”
Under this project, a 1.2-km tunnel and six underpasses are being constructed on Mathura Road. The underpass, constructed at a cost of Rs 76 crore, will ease the commute between Central Delhi, ITO, India Gate, Faridabad and Badarpur. The underpass stretch sees about 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh vehicles during peak hours. The construction work began in 2019 and was scheduled to be completed by the end of December 2020, but the project was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and various other reasons.
“I visited this underpass to review and inspect the work two months ago. I saw that only the final finishing works, like roof-laying and painting, were left. So I asked the engineers to open the underpass for commuters during the day and complete the remaining works during the night. Considering the issues faced by commuters, the public and the engineers informally inaugurated the underpass on March 22,” Sisodia said.
“We are inaugurating this officially today to meet the residents and see their happy faces, ” he added.
Sisodia also praised the engineers and other staff behind the project. “The project met with several obstacles – Covid, labour crunch, ban on construction activities, etc, but despite all that, the engineers finished the work amid heavy traffic jams. The Kejriwal government is working to beautify all stretches in the city like this so that anyone who is traveling should feel proud.”
He further added that the work on the tunnel construction and corridor development project at Pragati Maidan is also nearing completion and will soon be inaugurated. Under this project, a 1.2-km tunnel and six underpasses are being constructed on Mathura Road.
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