In April, the Public Works Division (PWD) had claimed to have fastened persistent issues of water leakage and seepage within the Pragati Maidan Tunnel. Eight months on, the leakage is again within the 1.2-km stretch, constructed as a part of the Pragati Maidan Built-in Hall Redevelopment Venture, at a price of Rs 777 crore.
When The Indian Categorical visited the stretch on Wednesday, it discovered plastic barricades put in for a couple of meters on the entrance of the stretch from Bhairon Marg facet as a result of leakages. As one strikes additional in the direction of Supreme Court docket and India Gate, water might be seen dripping from the ceiling of the tunnel, with leakages at a number of factors on the highway floor.
Additional, an enormous moist floor with water leaking might be seen close to a loop in the direction of the Pragati Maidan parking. Comparable issues might be seen at a number of factors in the midst of the highway. Nevertheless, no leakage might be seen on the facet of the stretch that goes in the direction of ITO and Noida.
The stretch, in the meantime, additionally had cracks at a number of factors. At some locations, the floor was damaged.
A senior PWD official, nevertheless, denied any such points. “There aren’t any such issues on the bottom,” he stated, refusing to elaborate.
Nevertheless, one other official, requesting anonymity, stated, “There are some minor points… Additionally, it has rained just lately… Restore work was accomplished earlier. These are minor leaks and will probably be fastened quickly…”
Blaming rainfall for the situation of the tunnel, an official stated on Friday, when heavy rain lashed Delhi: “Rain water enters the tunnel throughout rainfall however we clear it out. It has been raining since morning…”
Officers claimed that a couple of months in the past, grouting work was finished on the stretch and the drains have been cleaned.
Billed as Delhi’s widest underground tunnel, together with 5 different underpasses, the stretch was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022. Nevertheless, seepage and water leakage began inside a couple of months after the inauguration, as a result of which the tunnel was closed a number of instances for restore work, together with a interval final yr when it was closed for a month because of heavy waterlogging.
In August, too, The Indian Categorical had reported that the tunnel was closed for site visitors motion at evening. A senior PWD official had then stated: “The tunnel has been closed at evening for the final two months… For some time, it was open for some days however then the stretch wanted upkeep, which is troublesome to hold out through the day… So, the tunnel is closed at evening, and upkeep work and cleansing actions… are carried out throughout these hours.”
This monsoon, the tunnel was partially opened for site visitors through the day.
PWD had fashioned a five-member committee earlier this yr for vetting the methodology to resolve the water leakage points contained in the tunnel. In February, it had issued a discover to building main Larsen and Toubro, flagging “design deficiencies” and a “potential risk to the lifetime of passengers” utilising the tunnel, and requested the corporate — which executed the undertaking — to deposit Rs 500 crore.
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