Gurugram: Underpass ready for use, wait now for ‘VIP launch’

GURUGRAM: Despite assurances from the Public Works Department (PWD) that the Mahavir Chowk underpass would be opened to commuters in early October, the entire month has gone by without commuters being provided access to the facility.
While the unexpected rainfall in the beginning of the month is being blamed for the delay in completing the work, officials say that plans for the formal inauguration are holding up the opening.
“Earlier, there was unexpected rainfall that led to the work being suspended for a few days and consequently, the completion of the underpass was delayed. The surface roads, which was the only part remaining at the time of the rains, have also been completed,” a senior PWD official said.
“The structure is complete in all respects and ready for use. We are only waiting for the plans for formal inauguration to fall into place, after which the facility will be opened,” he added.
The underpass, which is meant to provide connectivity between Old Delhi-Gurugram road and the bus stand road, is part of a Rs 26 crore project to upgrade the junction. Work on the facility had started in January 2020, with an initial deadline of 18 months, but has been repeatedly delayed due to various factors, including the pandemic and repeated bans on construction owing to high pollution levels in the city.
Apart from the underpass, the PWD, which is executing the work on behalf of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), is also supposed to construct a walkway at the critical junction, providing access to all the roads that emerge from it.
Even as the underpass is on the verge of being opened, work on the walkway has just commenced.
“We were awaiting acquisition of clear land in the area where the walkway is to be built. Some electric poles were the last obstructions, which were removed in September. Work has now started on the walkway and is proceeding smoothly,” said the official quoted above.
With the facility likely to take “four to five months” to complete, pedestrians in the area will have to continue accessing the junction using the surface roads.
Mahavir Chowk is among the critical junctions in Gurugram, where vehicles moving from several busy stretches such as Old Delhi road, bus stand road, MG road, and new railway road intersect. It also sees a high volume of pedestrian movement. Meanwhile, residents of the area have expressed dejection on the fact that the authorities have to plan the inauguration even when it can simply be opened for the public. “Why can’t they simply open the underpass if it is ready? It is anyway more than a year after its initial deadline, this is hardly a cause for celebration. Even if they insist on such pomp and show, they can open the underpass and then do the formal inauguration later, as has been done for other facilities in the city, like the underpass near Ambience Mall,” said Purnima Ghosh, a resident of Sector 14.