Good news for Delhi-NCR residents, Ashram underpass to be inaugurated today

Around 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh vehicles cross the Ashram intersection in south Delhi every day during peak traffic hours.

New Delhi: In what could benefit lakhs of people daily, the much-awaited 750-metre long underpass at the Ashram crossing in Delhi will be inaugurated on Sunday (April 24).

The underpass in South Delhi connects Bhogal with New Friends Colony on Mathura Road and once opened, the commuters travelling to and from ITO and other parts of central Delhi will have a smooth ride through the busy Ashram crossing.

Ashram Chowk is an important link between central and south Delhi and also with Faridabad. The junction connects the Mathura Road and the Ring Road (linking Lajpat Nagar-Sarai Kale Khan and the DND flyover).

According to data provided by the traffic police, around 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh vehicles cross the Ashram intersection every day during peak traffic hours.

Last month Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the PWD portfolio, had said the facility will be opened for the public on March 22 but it could not be done because of non-completion of work. However, the PWD had started the trial run of the facility on March 22.

It is notable that the underpass has missed several deadlines. The foundation stone of the underpass was laid by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on December 24, 2019, and it was to be completed in a year's time.

PWD officials said the deadline was first extended to March 2021, further pushed to June 30, 2021, and then to September 2021. It was again extended to December 2021 and then to March 2022.

(With agency inputs)