HC seeks govt, police reports on RTR flyover project

Delhi High Court has sought responses of the city government and police on several issues relating to the construction of a three-lane flyover on Rao Tula Ram (RTR) Marg on the outer ring road and decongestion of traffic in that area.
A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva also sought a report from the forest department on whether its order to carry out compensatory plantation before cutting down of trees for the project, has been complied with.
The public works department (PWD) was asked to give a report giving reasons for suspension of work on construction of an underpass connecting Benito Juarez Marg and San Martin Marg Road in South Delhi and to show that the work has been commenced as claimed by the authority.

The underpass was to be constructed along with the flyover project in order to provide another route for traffic from Outer Ring Road to cross the Ring Road and thus reduce the burden on other roads connecting RTR Marg with Ring Road.
On reducing congestion on RTR marg, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) told the court that the alternative road connecting traffic coming from Mahipalpur, on NH-8, towards RTR has been made functional.
However, the court wanted to know how the traffic on NH-8 was using this road and what volume was it carrying and directed the traffic police to give a status report on the issue. It also suggested putting up of CCTVs to monitor the flow of vehicles on the alternate road.

The court also made the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) a party in the matter and listed it for further hearing on February 17.

The reports were sought after the newly-appointed counsel for forest department, PWD and traffic police said the three authorities needed some time to sit together and devise a plan to ensure compliance of the court's earlier orders.
The court was hearing a plea by the residents welfare associations of Vasant Vihar challenging PWD's decision to build a three-lane flyover parallel to the single-lane flyover on RTR Marg.
The associations have sought that a six-lane flyover be built in the same location by demolishing the existing one, while PWD intends to build a three-lane elevated road from Munirka to Signals Enclave, which will also run parallel to the RTR Marg flyover.