New Delhi (NewsReach) : After a year-long delay, the 750-km long underpass, which has crossed the deadline nearly eight times at Ashram crossroads in the national capital, which has been jam-packed throughout the year, will open for the general public next week, benefiting lakhs of commuters. The Public Works Department (PWD) of Delhi has completed the construction of the underpass. A government official said, “The construction work is almost complete. Only a few last things are being done. We are hopeful of opening it on the scheduled date next week.”
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had this month inspected this underpass in South Delhi and announced that it would be opened for the general public on March 22. The foundation stone of this Underpass was laid by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on December 24, 2019 and it was to be completed in a year.
PWD officials said that the deadline was first extended till March, 2021, then it was extended to June, 2021, then to September, 2021. Once again the deadline was extended first to December, 2021 and lastly to March, 2022. Officials say that they have not yet received the inauguration program from the government.
Ashram Chowk is an important link connecting Central and South Delhi and Faridabad. This junction connects Mathura Road and Ring Road (Lajpat Nagar-Sarai Kale Kha and DND flyover). According to the traffic police, about 2.5 lakh vehicles pass through this intersection every day during the maximum congestion. PWD officials said that the completion of the underpass was delayed first due to the COVID-19 lockdown and then the restrictions imposed on construction activities to control pollution.
