1.7km stretch in Delhi’s CR Park to become a ‘model street’

The residents of south Delhi’s CR Park have taken up the task of making their neighbourhood safe for pedestrians and to ensure “organised” traffic movement in the area.

The residents under the aegis of CR Park Green Community Initiative, a group of residents and urban planners, have tied up with government agencies such as Public Works Department (PWD) and the Delhi traffic police to develop Bipin Chandra Pal Road into a “model street”.

The 1.7 km long Bipin Chandra Pal Road is one of the important roads in CR Park and one of the busiest stretches in the area. The road is majorly used by commuters on their way to Greater Kailash, Alaknanda and Chirag Dilli apart from the local residents.

According to PWD officials and the members of the Initiative, the plan contains every street elements such as the construction of an obstruction-free footpath, adequate number of street lights, functional traffic signals and blinkers, synchronisation of traffic lights, installation of all street signages and markings as per standard street guidelines. The plan will also ensure a designated lane for cyclists and non-motorised vehicles.

Ashok Bhattacharjee, convener of CR Park Green Community Initiative, said currently all the necessary street elements are missing on the stretch. For instance, there is a footpath but many of its portions are either broken or encroached and. The footpath is not continuous along the road and ends abruptly at some locations. The traffic signals don’t work properly and lane marking is also absent. There is no pedestrian crossing signal and hence, the vehicular traffic and pedestrian movement is chaotic here, Bhattacharjee said.

“The main aim of this exercise is to achieve safe pedestrian movement all along and across the entire length of the street and ensure the regulated movement of motorised traffic. The model street project was conceived and technical drawings were prepared after deliberation in group meetings and in consultation with the PWD team. It was approved last month,” Bhattacharjee said.

He also said under the plan the electricity wires running overheard, which not only make the area look ugly but also pose risk to commuters, would be laid underground.

“The government agencies such as the PWD and the traffic police are on board on all the aspects. We have also roped in our area MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj to get the overhead electricity wires to be laid underground as part of this project,” he added.

A senior PWD official, who is familiar with the project, confirmed the development and said that redevelopment of the stretch was very much required as the road witnesses a heavy vehicular and pedestrian movement.

“It is a community driven initiative which includes redevelopment of Bipin Chandra Pal Marg. The project was given necessary administrative approval and an amount was sanctioned for it last month. ₹ 3.5 crore has been approved for the work,” the PWD official, who did not wish to be named, said.

Bhattacharjee also said the traffic police have also agreed to help regulate the traffic with joint public outreach campaign and other enforcement measures. He added that the responsibility to maintain the “model street” would be with the community.