Plan for no-signal ride from Pusa junction to Moti Nagar

NEW DELHI: The government is working on a plan to make the 8.5 km stretch between Pusa roundabout and Moti Nagar signal-free. The housing and urban affairs ministry on Monday asked the United Traffic and Transport Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) to carry out a study in the next month on feasibility of road-widening and construction of underpasses at all the intersections.

Sources said Delhi Police officers present in the meeting on “Slum Redevelopment in Delhi” held in the urban affairs ministry made the proposal to turn the stretch into a signal-free corridor since a number of construction projects are planned at Kathputli colony in the next few years.“Currently, the traffic police is managing vehicular flow by deploying additional personnel at congestion points,” said an official who attended the meeting. TOI has learnt that the Centre will fund the project to widen the stretch and make it signal signal-free. This is one of the most congested stretches in the capital with nearly half a dozen traffic intersections, which slow down vehicular movement. Sources said since most of commercial establishments and shops along the road are illegal and razing them won’t be an issue to widen the stretch.
Officials said the redevelopment of Kathputli slum colony includes building a mall which will be a part of monetising the land to make the project financially viable. But the commercial complex is set to increase traffic flow on this already congested stretch. The traffic crossing at Shadipur Metro station witnesses gridlock throughout the day.
“For the government, success of this pilot project of in situ redevelopment of a slum colony at Shadipur is important. It will be a template for redevelopment of other such big slum clusters. So, every effort is being put together to ensure it becomes financially viable,” said an official.
Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has entered into an agreement with a private builder, which will construct 2,800 houses for the economically weaker sections (EWS) and will commercially exploit additional land to recover the investment.