Massive water pipelines, debris from demolished shops and illegally parked cars all lie underneath the incomplete Rani Jhansi Road flyover, which has been under construction for eight years.
The grade separator was meant to ease traffic in Central Delhi, by giving vehicles from East to North Delhi a way to by-pass the congested area.
The 1.6-km-long flyover from Filmistaan Cinema to near St. Stephen’s Hospital was originally proposed in 1998, but work started only 10 years later in 2008.
As of April 2016, official records including a report being sent to the Lieutenant-Governor’s office this week, say 50 per cent of the project has been completed. The cost has escalated from Rs.70 crore to over Rs.200 crore since the project was first mooted.
If this story sounds familiar, it is. The Vivekananda flyover that collapsed in Kolkata last week had also been plagued by delays. Structural engineers say that the mere fact that a project is delayed can compromise the quality of the construction.
Mahesh Tandon, the president of the Indian Association of Structural Engineers, said if reinforcements are left incomplete or poking out of the concrete they can get corroded, or stolen.
“These temporary structures are not meant to last for years. The Mandovi bridge that collapsed in Goa too had delays and the trusses were left exposed too long,” said Mr. Tandon.
In the case of Rani Jhansi project, land was acquired in a slow and piecemeal way. In fact, a Railway colony in the way is yet to be relocated.
A water pipeline of the Delhi Jal Board has not been shifted. But, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which is responsible for it, says that the project will be done this year. How exactly that is possible remains to be articulated by the authorities.
“We have finally settled the land issues. We have identified land for the Railways to shift to. The DJB should also shift the pipeline soon. We will finish it in six months,” said Mohan Bhardwaj, the chairperson of the North Corporation’s Standing Committee.
With a huge gap where the rest of the flyover should be, it looks like an uphill battle to meet the new deadline. Leader of Opposition Mukesh Goel sees the flyover as “a symbol of the BJP’s failure”.
“God only knows when it will be done,” said Mr. Goel.
