India News | Ban on Construction Further Delays South Delhi's Ashram Underpass Work

New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) Commuters will have to wait a little longer for a breezy ride through the Ashram intersection in south Delhi as the construction of an underpass here will take at least a couple of months from now, officials said on Thursday.

They attributed the delay to the ban imposed on construction activities across Delhi-NCR by the Supreme Court last month after air pollution reached alarming levels in the region.

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“Over 85% construction work has been completed. But currently, the work has been halted due to spike in air pollution. This will surely delay the project. We are hoping to complete it in February 2022 if the ban is lifted this month,” a senior official from the public works department, who did not wish to be named, told PTI.

The project's initial deadline was December 2020, which was extended to March this year. It was subsequently pushed to June, September, November and December.

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The official said the remaining work will be carried out at a “fast pace” to avoid further delay.

“Due to complex nature of work, we will require at least a month to complete the remaining work once the ban is lifted. Another 15-20 days will be required to give it finishing touches. Hopefully, it will be ready by mid-February,” the official said.

The Ashram Chowk is an important link connecting central and south Delhi with the satellite towns of Noida and Faridabad.

The junction connects Mathura Road and Ring Road (linking Lajpat Nagar-Sarai Kale Khan and Delhi Noida Direct flyway).

A 750 metre-long underpass is being built on Mathura Road between Nizamuddin Rail Bridge and CSIR Apartments at Ashram Crossing.

The project intends to ease traffic between Sarita Vihar, Badarpur Faridabad and ITO.

Traffic police data shows that around 2.5 to three lakh vehicles cross the Ashram intersection during peak traffic hours on a daily basis.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had laid the foundation stone for the project on December 24, 2019 and the project was taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 78 crore.

“Work on the ramp on Nizamuddin side is pending. The ramp on Badarpur side has been completed and it has also been decorated with paintings,” another senior PWD official said.

He said paintings of religious and historical architecture were removed after objections from religious groups.

“After the objections, we dropped the heritage theme. We have now painted the Badarpur side of the underpass ramp with normal art, including flowers and birds,” he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)