NEW DELHI: The Public Works Department (PWD) is planning to conduct a survey of all its flyovers to identify spaces underneath which can be utilised better for government facilities such as indoor sporting arenas and mohalla clinics.
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The department has been working on an experiment under the Lajpat Nagar flyover for over a year to set up an indoor gaming facility.
The department will first do a survey of the flyovers under its authority for the use of vacant land. According to the availability of space under the scheme for making sports complexes, electric vehicle charging stations, government offices, green zones and similar activities. The idea is to protect the space from encroachment.
For this, the PWD has asked chief engineers of all its zones to conduct a survey and report on the matter. Sources said that PWD minister Atishi had given instructions to the department a few days back.
There are encroachments on the vacant spaces under many flyovers, much of this is occupied by homeless people and it becomes difficult to remove them. Under this scheme, any such encroachment will also be removed, the sources said.
As the national capital faces a problem of parking space, space underneath the flyovers can also be used for parking.
Under the scheme, there will be an emphasis on increasing greenery on the flyovers. Greenery will be increased here with the help of many types of shrubs, vines and plants. The target is to reach 100 percent greenery on the flyovers.
Under the Lajpat Nagar flyover at the centre of the road, the PWD has started work on creating the gaming facility. Extensive green plantation work has been done.
Driven by the target of utilising the space under flyovers in a better way, the department came up with this idea to avoid squatting homeless people, most of whom have been shifted to shelters.