New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah Tuesday inaugurated Barapullah Phase-III elevated corridor, which is expected to cut travel time between east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar Phase-1 and south Delhi’s AIIMS from around 45 minutes to just 15 minutes.Shah also inaugurated Mukarba Chowk Underpass and laid the foundation stones for Modi Mill-Savitri Cinema Flyover and Loni Underpass. The four infrastructure projects are estimated to cost a combined Rs 1,941 crore.CM Rekha Gupta said better coordination between Centre and Delhi govt at policy, planning and implementation levels was giving a fresh push to infrastructure development in the city. “The projects being dedicated today are not merely roads, flyovers and underpasses, but important facilities linked to saving the time of lakhs of Delhiites, improving connectivity, making travel easier and enhancing their quality of life,” she added.Barapullah Phase-III corridor will provide signal-free connectivity from Mayur Vihar Phase-I or Noida through Sarai Kale Khan to AIIMS and reduce traffic pressure on major routes. It has been connected to the existing Barapullah network and has nine loops for movement of traffic in different directions. Separate facilities have been developed for pedestrians and cyclists, PWD minister Parvesh Verma said.The project had been delayed by nearly a decade, but was given a fresh push by Verma after he took charge of the department last year.Mukarba Chowk Underpass, also inaugurated Tuesday, has been built to improve traffic movement on Outer Ring Road. It comprises two vehicular underpasses and one pedestrian underpass and is expected to ease the passage of around 15,800 vehicles every day.The underpass will let traffic from Badli and Rohini towards Azadpur and Jahangirpuri access the route without having to enter Mukarba Chowk interchange. A separate underpass for pedestrians and non-motorised traffic has also been built near Haiderpur Badli Mor Metro Station.“The aim is to develop Delhi’s infrastructure in a way that directly improves people’s daily commute, saves time and makes travel more convenient,” South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said.The Modi Mill Flyover extension will boost signal-free movement from the mill towards Kalkaji and further to IIT Gate. The project is aimed at reducing pressure on major junctions in south Delhi, including Captain Gaur Marg-Outer Ring Road, and improving traffic movement between Nehru Place, Kalkaji, Greater Kailash and adjacent areas.At Savitri Cinema junction, a new parallel flyover is proposed to reduce pressure around Outer Ring Road and GK-2 Road. It will provide a smoother route for vehicles travelling towards Nehru Place, Okhla and nearby areas.Loni Road roundabout underpass, for which the foundation stone was also laid, is aimed at improving traffic flow between Loni Road and Shahdara. The proposed underpass will have four lanes and is intended to reduce the need for vehicles travelling to and from Loni to stop at the roundabout, said Union minister of state Harsh Malhotra.
