Pune: Chandni Chowk pre-demolition work likely to start today, says NHAI

PUNE: The pre-demolition work of the Chandni Chowk overpass will start on Thursday, officials with the National Highways Authority of India said.
The officials said a team of experts from Edifice Engineering thoroughly inspected the overpass on Wednesday. "The Edifice team is working and will come up with a day-to-day report on the progress. They are expected to start the pre-demolition activities latest by Thursday. They are yet to submit their final report to us. Based on their report, we can talk about the exact date and time of the demolition. Coordination with the police is also on," Sanjay Kadam, the Pune project director of NHAI, said.
CM Eknath Shinde had told NHAI and related agencies to carry out the demolition between September 12 and 15 and then lay additional lanes for smooth vehicular traffic on the stretch.
"While discussions are still on, there is a possibility that the demolition might happen in the late-night hours of September 10. This will allow us to clear the debris on Sunday, which generally witnesses less traffic compared to weekdays. The debris can be completely removed in a matter of 4-6 hours and the area can be opened for traffic again. The laying of additional lanes will take around a fortnight," another NHAI official said.
Last month, CM's convoy got stuck in a traffic jam at Chandni Chowk, prompting him to take a spot review and issue many instructions to different agencies.