Phase-iii: DMRC ensured orphanage was not dislocated
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) not only had to solve the technical aspects of traffic woes, but also maintain a humanitarian approach while constructing the triple-interchange Kashmere Gate Metro station, under the phase-iii project, as the Corporation decided not to endanger an orphanage located near the station.
DMRC had to revise its entire tunnel plan, reversing it to 110 metres and rephrase the entire sketch, by drilling 220 metres against its original planned so as to save the shel- ter home for parentless children, Palna.
Home to abandoned, homeless and destitute children, under the programme of Delhi Council for Child Welfare, Palna was established in 1978 and looks after 90-100 children daily, ranging from newborns to eight year olds.
According to a DMRC official, “The challenge came when during construction of the reversal facility for Metro train was planned, a part of Palna orphanage was partially disturbed. initially, the plan was to use cut and cover technique for the tunnel. But in order to avoid disturbing the orphan- age, only 110 metres of the reversal was constructed using the cut and cover, while 220 metres had to be constructed using the new Austrian tunneling method (NATM), which was not originally planned.”
He added that construction for new the station had many major challenges.
In the initial alignment, the new station was infringing on the existing station. Since the existing station could not be disturbed, the new station had to be curved at the platform level, the radius of the curve in 1,000m and due to this, the downline is curved, while the upline is straight.
Another challenge that occurred during the construction was that of a cross passage, which had to be built in the tunnels between Kashmere Gate and Lal Qila stations.
This cross passage was directly below the campus of Indira Gandhi Technical University for Women (IGTUW), at a depth of 18 m from the ground level.
While constructing this cross passage, water and mush started gushing inside the tunnel. Since the source of water could not be traced, the construction of the cross passage had to be abandoned.
The official added that instead, an escape shaft was constructed from the tunnel, leading out into the campus of the IGTUW. The escape shaft is 20 meters deep and consist of 134 steps.