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Project is neither on nor off, says Sheila Dikshit

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Convenes meeting of ASI, Urban Arts officials on March 1 Sheila holds a meeting to sort out differences

NEW DELHI: With the proposed new 1.7 km road-cum-tunnel project connecting National Highway-24 to Lodhi Road in the Capital running into trouble because of its proximity to the protected Neela Gumbad monument, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said she would be inviting officials of the Archaeological Survey of India and the Delhi Urban Arts Commission to thrash out a solution acceptable to all groups.

"Right now the project is neither on nor off," she said, adding that the Delhi Government had received a letter from the ASI stating that it was "holding" its approval to the project. The ASI had earlier granted a conditional approval to the project.

Stating that the project was not a one-off kind but would rather set a "legacy" for others that would have to be taken up for Delhi's development, Ms. Dikshit said there were differences of opinion on various issues covering it. While the project is aimed at reducing travel time from the trans-Yamuna area to Lodhi Road by at least 15 minutes and providing easy access to Nehru Stadium from the Commonwealth Games Village site during the mega event due in 2010, the ASI and the DUAC are concerned about the aesthetics and its impact on the historical monuments.

Reacting to such concerns, Ms. Dikshit said: "It is a big and innovative project. While alternatives are being suggested, no one has actually applied their mind to realise its importance. Also the options suggested have been technically not sound."

To iron out the differences, the Chief Minister on Tuesday convened a meeting with officials of the DUAC, Public Works Department and Delhi Fire Service to discuss the issue. However, as the discussions remained inconclusive, another meeting has been called on March 1.

"We do not want departments to give suggestions which are impractical and neither do we want to spoil the ambience of Delhi. In future many such projects would have to be constructed and so we want to develop a consensus on how such plans can be implemented while addressing the concerns of all," she said.

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