Nearly 20 years after the Sultanpuri flyover challenge was conceived, the event of the important thing railway overbridge (ROB) stays mired in delays, with land acquisition points and authorized challenges anticipated to additional stall completion, Municipal Company of Delhi (MCD) officers stated.
Until date, the Rani Jhansi and RTR flyovers are thought of among the many slowest-executed infrastructure tasks in Delhi, and the Sultanpuri-Nangloi ROB/RUB challenge appears headed in the identical course, owing to inordinate delays over the previous 18 years, stated officers. The challenge was reviewed two weeks in the past in a gathering chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta, a senior civic official stated.
The challenge, as soon as full, is anticipated to enhance connectivity for hundreds of individuals dwelling in Sultanpuri, Rohini, Nangloi and Kirari.
The Sultanpuri ROB/RUB challenge was sanctioned in 2008 and development started in 2010. By 2021, solely about 70% of the work had been accomplished, largely on account of a paucity of funds.
“The earlier contractor bumped into monetary disputes and eventually rescinded the contract in 2015. We needed to public sale off the development materials to recuperate some losses. A brand new company was employed in 2017 and the underpass portion of the challenge was opened for commuters in September 2023,” the official stated. “Nearly 97% of the bodily work on the web site of the railway overbridge has been accomplished, however the flyover part continues to be incomplete on account of a number of plots mendacity within the alignment of the ramp.”
A second MCD official stated, “The final contractor deserted the challenge halfway in 2018 and greater than 184.5 tonnes of metal bars on the web site had been offered for scrap at ₹22 per kilo to partially recuperate the losses.”
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The second official, requesting anonymity, stated the challenge has additionally confronted a number of court docket instances over land acquisition and relocation. “A number of house owners of plots within the alignment of the flyover ramp have obtained a keep from the Delhi Excessive court docket. Following this, a videographic survey of your complete stretch of the ROB has been performed utilizing drones and it shall be submitted earlier than the court docket within the subsequent listening to,” the official stated.
The primary element of the challenge — the rail underbridge — was opened on September 4, 2023, greater than 13 years after work started on the dual junction in 2010. A senior Northern Railway official stated the railway portion of the Sultanpuri ROB and RUB was accomplished in 2013, whereas the strategy roads had been to be constructed by the municipal company. “No work is pending from our aspect,” the official stated, requesting anonymity.
Residents and commuters stated the unfinished flyover continues to trigger extreme site visitors congestion within the space.
Rajesh Balyan, a neighborhood resident, stated the flyover has turn into a persistent bottleneck. “It was anticipated to alleviate congestion by offering shorter route bypassing the Rohtak highway and Outer Ring Street however individuals have now suffered for nearly 20 years. Final 12 months, the MCD opened it from Nangloi however the fitting carriageway continues to be lacking. E-rickshaws have made the state of affairs worse,” he added.
Ritesh Monga, one other resident, stated individuals have been staring on the half-complete flyover for over 10 years now. “Why did they even begin it when there was no land obtainable? This 100m stretch typically takes 30–40 minutes for commuters to cross,” he added.
