Third month for traffic jams due to cave-in near CGO complex at Lajpat Rai Marg
A portion of the carriageway of Lala Lajpat Rai Marg that takes traffic from Moolchand towards the Lodhi Hotel caved in on November 18 last year, owing to ongoing construction work on the CRPF building in the CGO Complex opposite the Lodhi Road crematorium.
Repairs on a road cave-in at Lala Lajpat Rai Marg near the CGO complex that were initially expected to be complete in three days have now entered their third month, severely inconveniencing thousands of commuters heading from south Delhi to New Delhi, forcing them to either take long detours or spend at least an extra half in hour in traffic.
A portion of the carriageway of Lala Lajpat Rai Marg that takes traffic from Moolchand towards the Lodhi Hotel caved in on November 18 last year, owing to ongoing construction work on the CRPF(Central Reserve Police Force) building in the CGO Complex opposite the Lodhi Road crematorium.
An under-construction double basement in the plot adjacent to this arterial road collapsed, said officials, and repairs are being carried out by the Central Public Works Department, which is also expected to restore the road, according to state PWD officials aware of the matter.
While the entire section between the CGO complex and the Lodhi Road flyover was initially shut for repairs, authorities later opened up a single lane for traffic. This however, has caused a major bottleneck that often winds its way till the Lajpat Nagar flyover.
A senior Delhi traffic police official overseeing the area confirmed that repairs are still on. While the official said they were not given an expected deadline for the repairs, they expected the road to be reopened by end-March.
“The walls of the nearby structure [at the construction site in the CGO complex] had collapsed and they have not been able to remove it. They are facing multiple technical difficulties and we will be able to remove the extra barricades only after the repair work is completed. While no deadline has been communicated to us, repairs are expected to be over by end-March,” the senior traffic police officer said, asking not to be named.
CPWD officials did not respond to the queries sent by HT regarding the delay in repairs.
The officer said vehicles have since been diverted through the CGO complex or being advised to use alternate roads like Bhishma Pitamah Marg.
The detours have not only led to additional traffic load on these stretches, including at JLN Stadium Marg, they have significantly added to travel times for commuters heading to Lodhi Road, Zakir Hussain Marg or nearby areas in New Delhi.
Anand Kumar, who uses the stretch for his daily commutes, said the diversions are leading to chaos in the area, with people forced to spend 25-30 minutes in traffic jams.
“Instead of just putting up barricades, it would have been better if the traffic police could have mentioned exact dates [for the repair work to end] with diversion banners. There are no personnel to regulate the traffic,” he said.
Nikhil Dhar, another commuter, said the Barapullah elevated corridor also feels the impact of the blockade.
“Traffic is in a mess at the Barapullah entry near CGO complex. How can they take such a long time to repair the road,” Dhar asked.
Anirban Majumdar, who lives in east Delhi’s Patparganj, concurred and said his regular route from Patparganj to south Delhi is disrupted at the same spot.
“Traffic management is pathetic and it has been the same story for several months on Barapullah, JLN stadium and CGO complex,” he added. Several commuters also complain about vehicles moving from the wrong side, compounding the traffic mess at the spot.
The cave-in at the complex also damaged at six places a water supply line originating from Wazirabad and passing along Lala Lajpat Rai Marg. A Delhi Jal Board spokesperson said that all the leakage points have already been repaired and that all work on the water utility’s end is complete.
The combined effects of the cave-in at the CGO complex and the ongoing construction work at Ashram crossing have meant that two major arterial roads heading from south Delhi to New Delhi and beyond are traffic nightmares, leaving commuters with little choice but to account for significantly longer travel times.
Additionally, over the past year, Delhi has seen several cave-ins at major arterial roads, including at the IIT intersection in south Delhi, Dwarka, Mathura Road and now Lala Lajpat Rai Marg.
Dr. S Velmurugan, chief scientist at the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) said a large number of cave-ins are a sign of poor site management.
“The CGO complex site has become a major bottleneck, which is having a cascading effect on the nearby region and tail formations in traffic flow. We have seen in many cases that cave-ins have occurred at the time of foundation laying or damage to pipelines which not only shows callous attitude but also a stronger need to carry out accurate mapping of underground utilities in the city,” he added.
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