Flyover to unclog Ajmeri Gate to Rajghat stretch
NEW DELHI: To decongest Ajmeri Gate and its neighbourhood, the Centre has proposed to construct a flyover from Ajmeri Gate Chowk to Ring Road, up to Rajghat. The proposal has been accorded in principle approval in a meeting held recently to deliberate on measures to be taken for decongestion of the city.
The meeting was chaired by the Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadakri, which was attended by Delhi lieutenant governor (L-G) Anil Baijal, Members of Parliament, PWD minister Satyendra Jain, Delhi Development Authority chairman Udai Pratap Singh and senior officials of other local government agencies.
A transport ministry official said the Delhi’s Public work Department (PWD) has been asked to get a feasibility study done of the proposal through a technical consultant. The issue of bottleneck at Ajmeri Gate was raised by Union minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, who is an MP from Chandni Chowk.
“The L-G will monitor the development and if required further discussion will be held in future. The PWD will pursue the matter. The project is an important step towards Shahjahana- The area is a major traffic hub because of popular markets, railway station and hospitals
The flyover will also provide relief to commuters during rallies at Ramlila Maidan bad’s redevelopment. This will certainly ease traffic movement on tributary roads of the Walled city,” said Vardhan.
About 2.5-km-long proposed facility will not only reduce traffic chaos at Ajmeri Gate-new Delhi Railway Station precinct but it is also expected to decongest Asaf Ali Road and Delhi Gate area, where three big city medical institutions — Lok Nayak, GB Pant, and Guru Nanak Eye hospitals are located. They jointly receive daily footfall of more than 30,000 people.
A senior PWD official said the flyover will facilitate smooth transition between central Delhi and east or northeast Delhi. “People in sizeable numbers use this stretch (Paharganj-ajmeri Gate-delhi Gate) every day to commute between western and eastern part of the city. There is perennial bottleneck like situation here, which is likely to be resolved once the flyover is made,” he added.
The area has grown into one of the largest commercials hubs in the recent past with thousands of buyers coming to wholesale markets — GB Road, Chawari Bazaar, Lal Quan, Khari Baoli, Chandni Chowk, and Jama Masjid — situated in its vicinity. Among several government and private offices on Asaf Ali Road, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited complex and Zakir Husain Delhi College at Jawaharlal Nehru Marg are big institutions, which are frequented by hundreds of visitors and students every day.
The Ajmeri Gate side of the New Delhi Railway Station caters to 50% of the total footfall, which receives around five lakh travellers on a daily basis.
“The flyover will provide relief to residents of old Delhi as they have to suffer a lot especially if there is a big rally at Ramlila Maidan. As soon as all the formalities are done, I may arrange funds from the Centre if required and it will take four to five years to complete the project,” said Vardhan.