Water and sewage pipelines of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) along M.G. Road remained elusive, despite the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) excavating the eastern side of Padma Junction on Saturday.
Soon after, the dug up portion was restored and traffic movement resumed by afternoon. A similar attempt to locate pipelines was done a week ago, on the junction’s western side.
A DMRC official said the pipes might be located beneath the median or at a depth beyond 4.2 metres. “We will finalise plans after discussions with the traffic police and district administration. Locating the pipelines and shifting them prior to piling is crucial for the metro rail project,” the official said.
Traffic banned
Traffic along the severely-potholed old Kumbalam-Aroor bridge on NH Bypass has been banned till further notice. Vehicles will be diverted through the parallel bridge located on the western side. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) says that a ban on traffic is crucial to carry out the repair works. However, the traffic police expressed reservations over the NHAI move. “Accidents are likely to happen when vehicles from either direction use a single bridge, especially at night. We have told NHAI to install lights and caution boards on either side and all along the stretch, to warn motorists and pedestrians. Barricades too are required to prevent head-on collision,” said a senior police officer.
