Delhi’s Public Works Department (PWD) is set to undertake the restoration and repair of Rohtak Road, an arterial stretch connecting the Capital with Haryana, which has been described as the “worst road of the city”.
Officials associated with the project said that the repair work on a 10km, six-lane road will take place in two phases, and bids have been invited for each.
In the first phase, officials said, PWD — the infrastructure arm of the Delhi government — will repair and re-carpet damaged patches of the road under a ₹3.3 crore project which is expected to take one month.
The overall project includes repair and re-strengthening the road between the Nangloi Metro station and Tikri border, and 9 km of new drains on both sides of the road. PWD also plans to undertake horticulture work through vertical gardening to enhance the road’s aesthetics, making the central verge and green areas more appealing.
HT has seen project reports for both parts of the road revamp.
“The much larger project to redesign the drainage system of the areas around this national highway will take around 15 months and it is likely to cost ₹167 crore,” a senior PWD official said, adding that the private agency that wins the bid will also be responsible for operation and maintenance of new drainage system along the road for six years.
The PWD official said that the first set of repairs will be carried out near Rajdhani Park, Mundka, and Tikri Border. “The contractor will be finalised by November end, and the tender conditions stipulate that the work will be completed by December end,” the official said.
On September 11, then-PWD minister Atishi had carried out an inspection of Rohtak Road, during which issues related to damaged sections of the road, its poor maintenance, and acute waterlogging were raised. The inspection had found that the large parts of road were in a dilapidated condition, with the upper surface severely worn down, and the immediate maintenance of the footpaths was also required.
Atishi had instructed PWD to carry out road strengthening through re-carpeting, footpath repairs for pedestrian convenience, and horticultural enhancements for road beautification as part of the road redesigning project.
Separately, lieutenant governor VK Saxena on September 19 visited Rohtak Road and urged the then CM-designate Atishi to get the stretch repaired, highlighting broken road patches, open sewers, two-feet deep potholes and non-functional streetlights.
HT had on October 8 reported that the damaged Rohtak Road — part of national highway 10 — is riddled with potholes, its parts remain waterlogged even on non-rainy days, and the sight of stranded vehicles on it has become emblematic of poorly maintained roads in the national capital.
The PWD official quoted above said that Rohtak Road is in a dilapidated condition due the rapid unplanned population growth along the stretch, and the inadequate capacity of drains to carry water from these areas.
“The drain network is being improved in two sections. Improvement of storm water drains will be taken up from Kirari Suleman drain near Nangloi Railway Metro station to Hiran Kudna drain, and then from Tikri border to Hiran Kudna drain,” the official said.
New drains will be constructed in two parts, and both sections will end up in Hiran Kudna drain.
“This is a long-term solution which will prevent waterlogging and road damage in the future. The width and depth of the drains will be increased as per the present needs of the population. After improving the drainage system, dozens of colonies in Nangloi, Mundka, Ghevra and Tikri area will benefit,” the official said.
Santosh Drall (45), a resident of Tikri, said that Rohtak Road remains waterlogged even when there is no rainfall in the area for months. “Large parts of the road are full of craters, and there are many cases of accidents and vehicles overturning due to the bad state of road. Thousands of commuters use this road everyday, but it has been left unattended for years. 15 months is too long a time. We need urgent interventions to help alleviate the problem,” he said.
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