Akshardham to Punjabi Bagh: Corridor project goes to Cabinet

“The consultants have decided the final alignment of all the segments of the stretch,and we are now ready for the government’s approval to take the project forward,” Mehta told Newsline.

The road will run for 20.68 km,with nearly half the stretch at surface level and half elevated,and connect Akshardham Temple in East Delhi to Punjabi Bagh and Zakira in the far west,said officials. The 9.6-km-long elevated portions will be reserved exclusively for buses,while other vehicles will use the road beneath on these stretches,said Metha.

“On the remaining portions,the existing roads will be redeveloped on the lines of the Bus Rapid Transit carriageway in South Delhi,with lanes reserved for buses along the central verge,” Mehta added.

Once approved in-principle by the Cabinet,the project will be sent for clearance to the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre and the Delhi Urban Art Commission before construction can begin. The proposal,prepared by the Urban Mass Transit Company Limited (UMTC),is expected to provide relief to West Delhi residents.

The UMTC proposal states that the corridor will begin near Akshardham Temple and go up to Punjabi Bagh and Zakira,said an official who attended the meeting. “The plan is to use the existing Nizamuddin bridge,Bhairon Marg,ITO and then the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg to reach the New Delhi Railway Station. Most of the elevated segments will be between the station and Punjabi Bagh,” he added.

At present,the stretch is heavily congested,with up to 15,000 vehicles plying in certain portions of the corridor every hour. The UMTC has also recommended that Rs 1.2 crore be spent per km for laying cycle tracks.

Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said the government may also consider an electric bus corridor on the stretch once the government approves the project in-principle.