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Major plans to improve Delhi traffic scenario

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

NEW DELHI: Between mid-April this year and 2008-end when the Delhi Assembly elections are due, the city is expected to witness a marked improvement in the way pedestrians and motorists travel if the plans of the State Government are anything to go by.

For the benefit of pedestrians, as many as 15 foot over-bridges (FOB) would come up equipped with escalators. And in view of the demand from the rights groups, plans are also afoot to install elevators for the physically challenged to make them barrier-free.

According to official sources, installation of the elevators and escalators would be entrusted to private players on a build-operate-transfer basis. In lieu of installing and operating them, the bidders would be allowed advertising rights on the FOBs. While construction of eight such FOBs is underway, planning for the others is in the final stages.

Another plan on the anvil envisages connecting a series of foot over-bridges with elevated walkways so that people can move long distances without coming into contact with the traffic plying below. "To begin with, such a plan is being discussed for Barakhamba Road."

More flyovers and underpasses will also start coming up in Delhi by 2008-end. While 16 flyovers and rail over-bridges (ROB) are under construction, another 20 are in the planning stage.

For improving vehicular movement, two tunnel corridors have also been planned to facilitate movement of traffic from the Commonwealth Games Village to Nehru Stadium and from the Games Village to Rajiv Chowk in Connaught Place.

But while the first tunnel from National Highway-24 to Lodhi Road has run into trouble as it invited a lot of criticism, sources said the Delhi Urban Arts Commission would be asked to suggest an alternate route so that the purpose of connecting the Games Village to the main stadium is not defeated. "A new alignment would be worked out for the project," an official said.

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