Delhi’s Mathura Road soon to be pedestrian friendly

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[google-translator]

Lieutenant governor VK Saxena has directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to soon finalise a 2.5-km pedestrian corridor from the Pragati Maidan/Supreme Court Metro station to Sunder Nagar, a project that will include wider footpaths, safer road crossings and new foot overbridges.

Officials said making the stretch safer and easier for people on foot is crucial since the stretch has the Purana Qila, Delhi Zoo, a sports facility and the Supreme Court around it. (HT Archive)
Officials said making the stretch safer and easier for people on foot is crucial since the stretch has the Purana Qila, Delhi Zoo, a sports facility and the Supreme Court around it. (HT Archive)

The project is to be completed by the time Pragati Maidan, which is in the last stages of a sweeping redevelopment, hosts the high-profile G20 Summit in September.

The corridor, or the walkability plan, will cover the stretch from the traffic junction near Pragati Maidan to Sunder Nagar, and will pass through key intersections with Sikandra Road, Bhagwan Das Road, Tilak Marg, Purana Qila Road, Bhairon Marg, Sher Shah Road and Subramania Bharti Marg.

The plan is likely to be tabled at the next meeting of the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC), which is the apex body for approving traffic and road infrastructure projects in Delhi, people aware of the matter said.

“The LG reviewed the walkability plan in a recent meeting and reviewed the Purana Qila – Pragati Maidan stretch. He directed DDA to finalise the plan soon,” said a senior official at the LG secretariat, asking not to be named.

The issues, the officials said, pertain majorly to the movement of traffic.

“The LG instructed DDA, traffic police and ITPO (India Trade Promotion Organisation) to address issues like traffic movement, security concerns of visiting dignitaries at Pragati Maidan, and seamless movement of pedestrians, and present the final proposal for UTTIPEC’s approval at the earliest,” the person added.

ITPO manages Pragati Maidan, the Capital’s main convention centre.

The plan has been prepared under the DDA’s walkability policy – the Enhanced Walkability in Delhi – which was notified in 2019 and aimed at making roads more accessible, especially areas around mass transit systems and residential neighbourhoods.

Under the plan, table-top crossings, two-metre wide footpaths, dedicated bus lanes, foot over-bridges, dedicated lanes for non-motorised transport will be among the infrastructure made to facilitate seamless pedestrian movement.

A senior DDA official said they plan to construct table-top crossings – the crosswalk is raised so that vehicles mandatorily slow down on approach — and a foot over-bridge near the SC complex.

Senior DDA officials said that they aim to implement the walkability plan before the upcoming G20 Summit in September, which will take place at the redeveloped Pragati Maidan complex. The ITPO is carrying out the redevelopment of Pragati Maidan, which has entirely been torn down and rebuilt. The work is expected to be completed later this year. “While another plan to decongest the area is being implemented, there is a need to provide pedestrian friendly infrastructure in and around the redeveloped complex and Purana Qila, which is located very close to it,” said a DDA official.

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