The Hindu : New Delhi News : Water pipeline delays ITO Chungi project

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Monday, Feb 25, 2008
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Water pipeline delays ITO Chungi project

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

PWD officials are hopeful that this work would be completed in a couple of months
‘Underpass would serve as an important link between East Delhi and other parts of Capital’

NEW DELHI: Ironical as it may sound, the pipeline carrying water for the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant that was laid just three years ago has become a major cause of concern for the Public Works Department as it has led to the delay of the ITO Chungi underpass project on Vikas Marg by at least six months.

What is baffling in this case is that when the Sonia Vihar water pipeline was being laid it was known that this underpass project has been planned at the Vikas Marg-Pushta Road intersection.

Ideally, the pipeline should have been planned and laid in such a manner that the need to relocate it should not have risen at all. But there was a lapse somewhere and this has now caused a delay in the project.

Incidentally, while the foundation stone for the project was laid by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in June 2007, the project has still not been able to pick up speed as the pipeline has to be shifted for allowing construction works in the area.

Though there were two other pipelines too that were passing by the project site, the PWD has been able to shift them and work on their relocation is expected to be completed by February end.

However, in the case of the pipeline carrying water for the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant, the PWD was not in a position to relocate it on its own due to the technology involved in its laying. As such a fresh order for shifting it had to be given to L&T, the company which had laid it.

While work on the shifting of this pipeline is yet to start, officials in PWD are hopeful that this work would be completed in a couple of months and this would pave the way for speeding up construction work on the project.

Engineer-in-Chief of PWD R. Subramanian said the underpass would not only provide an effective link between different localities of East Delhi but also serve as an important link between East Delhi and other parts of the Capital. The project is very important from the point of view of East Delhi as this area witnesses very heavy traffic volumes. In fact it is at this junction that Vikas Marg and Pushta Road intersect.

The underpass with four cloverleaves and two slip roads has been planned to provide signal-free movement for traffic at this junction. The estimated cost of the project is Rs.73.70 crore and while it was originally expected to be completed within 18 months or by 2008 end, now the deadline has been postponed to June 2009.

The PWD officials are now trying to cut down on the construction time. Mr Subramanian said while the slip road from Vikas Marg to Pushta Road -- that carries traffic coming from ITO and moving towards Gandhi Nagar – is ready, the other slip road from Pushta Road to Vikas Marg that would carry traffic from Akshardham Temple to ITO would be thrown open to traffic by end of March 2008.

Thereafter all the vehicular movement in this area would be shifted to these slip roads and the ITO Chungi crossing would be dug up for construction of the diaphragm walls of the underpass.

The construction of the four clover leaves would also be taken up simultaneously.

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