UTTIPEC, LG approve critical road infrastructure and redevelopment plans

New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena, on Wednesday chaired the 68th Meeting of the Governing Body of Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Planning and Engineering Centre.

Apart from approving the minutes of the 67th Meeting and the Action Taken Report (ATR) subsequent to the last Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Planning and Engineering Centre (UTTIPEC) meeting held on March 20, various far-reaching projects that will help ease the traffic situation and improve mobility, transport and transit in the city were deliberated upon and approved.

At the outset, the LG stressed upon the need for factoring in the latest technologies available internationally before formulating and finalising any project by the UTTIPEC.

He also asked for comprehensive prospective planning, with regards to projected traffic volumes, population and residential localities to be taken into account, before finalising the proposals.

Saxena also directed that all future projects brought for approval be given fixed timelines for their implementation.

While discussing the ATR of the last meeting in March, the LG enquired about the progress made in the Mandi Road Project cleared then. He was informed that drawings indicating a ROW of 30 metres as decided in the last meeting had been released, the Khasra plan with regards to the alignment of the road had been superimposed and the PWD was to soon start the process of land acquisition.

The decisions taken today that will go a long way in improving overall mobility in the city, include construction of Road Over Bridge (ROB) at the Railway Level Crossings No. 12 and 18 at Kirari and Ghevra respectively and Road Under Bridge (RUB) at Narela Mandi Railway Level Crossing No.16 at Narela.

The railway lines in these stretches have an average of about 100 trains passing daily and every time a train passes, the Level Crossing is closed for at least six minutes (10 hours a day), causing huge traffic jam, congestions, time loss and air pollution.

These ROBs and RUB that will be constructed by the MCD, will help address the traffic situation in the heavily-congested and populated North-West Delhi areas that include Kirari, Kanjhawala, Ghevra, Bawana and neighbouring Bahadurgarh.

Replete with pedestrian ramps, segregated cycle/two-wheeler lanes and footpaths, the ROBs/ RUB at Kirari, Ghevra and Narela are of approximately one km in length and have four lanes each.

A walkability plan of the area surrounding the Purana Qila, ITPO Complex and Delhi Zoo around Mathura Road was also approved.

Multi Modal Integration Plans of Tis Hazari, Rithala and Seelampur Metro Stations, incorporating interconnected street network, street design, signalised and grade separated street crossings, model interchange locations and parkings for cycles, buses, autorickshaw and private car, etc., on street parking, public toilets, lighting, hawker zones, signages and street maps and public transport to ensure last mile connectivity were also approved.