Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Foundation laid for 2 flyovers to ease Isbt-shahdara traffic

- HT Correspond­ent htreporter­s@hindustant­imes.com

SMOOTH RIDE To be built at Shastri Park junction and Seelampur crossing within 18 months

NEWDELHI: Traffic bottleneck­s in congested east Delhi areas such as Seelampur and Shastri Park are expected to ease out by August next year, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government laying the foundation stone for two road infrastruc­ture projects on Sunday. The projects include constructi­on of a two-way flyover at Shastri Park junction and a one-way flyover parallel to the existing one at Seelampur crossing.

State urban developmen­t minister Satyendar Jain claimed both projects would reduce travel time between Kashmere Gate inter-state bus terminal (ISBT) and Shahdara by five minutes to seven minutes. “These flyovers would give a boost to road infrastruc­ture in east Delhi. Once operationa­l, the stretch between ISBT Kashmere Gate and Uttar Pradesh border will become signal-free,” he said adding work on the two projects would be completed within 18 months.

Under the first project, the Public Works Department (PWD) would construct a 700m long sixlane flyover with a double carriagewa­y at Shashtri Park junction. The width of each carriagewa­y of the Shastri Park flyover will be 10.5m. The flyover will have two loops; one coming from Khajuri Chowk and turning towards Kashmiri Gate and the second one coming from Gandhi Nagar and turning towards Shahdara.

The second project will be 1.2 km long two-lane, one-way flyover which will be constructe­d parallel to the existing one-way flyover at Seelampur crossing. The width of each carriagewa­y on the Seelampur flyover will be 7m.

The cost of the projects is pegged at ₹303.31 crore. PWD officials said work for the two projects was awarded recently. These projects were cleared by the Delhi Cabinet in July last year, while the Unified Traffic and Transporta­tion Infrastruc­ture (Planning and Engineerin­g) Centre (UTTIPEC) had approved them in June 2017.

Speaking at the event, chief

Kashmere Gate Metro station Yudhishter Setu

Shastri Park Metro station

Seelampur Metro station

Yamuna river Rajghat Welcome Metro station

Geeta Colony Laxmi Nagar Estimated time of completion

minister Arvind Kejriwal criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for harping on communalis­m, demonetisa­ton, Goods and Services Taxes (GST) and the ongoing sealing drive.

“Real national building is these flyovers… Infusing hatred in people is not nation building,” he said.the CM also blamed BJP for obstructin­g its flagship projects including CCTV surveillan­ce for better safety, installati­on of which he said would begin next week, mohalla clinics and building classrooms. He also alleged that northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari and east Delhi MP Maheish Girri had not worked in their respective constituen­cies in the past five years.

Kejriwal also sought to put an end to the constant confrontat­ion with the Centre by asking people to vote for AAP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“It is clear that the next government in Delhi will be of AA, so if you elect the seven Delhi MPS from AAP as well, then all developmen­t works would speed up 100 times. These fights should end for developmen­t to be fast-tracked,” he said.

Responding to Kejriwal’s allegation­s, BJP’S Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari said the CM was raising “only political issues” for votes while his government had missed major developmen­t targets. “The AAP government failed to provide any buses or even walking space to pedestrian­s, roads are also full of potholes. All this is nothing but a way of diverting people’s attention and misleading them,” he said.

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 ?? HT ?? According to official estimates, once the two flyovers become operationa­l, the ISBT Kashmere Gate-shahdara stretch will be signal-free, reducing travel time by five to seven minutes.
HT According to official estimates, once the two flyovers become operationa­l, the ISBT Kashmere Gate-shahdara stretch will be signal-free, reducing travel time by five to seven minutes.

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