New Delhi: Delhi Pollution Control Committee conducted a public hearing on Thursday on the draft proposal from the National Highways Authority of India to construct an underground road tunnel from Shiv Murti interchange in southwest Delhi to Nelson Mandela Marg. The 4.9km project, meant to ease traffic movement, is planned to pass through the Southern Ridge and will require a total of 417 trees to be chopped down.
During the public hearing, which took place at the office of the district magistrate (South), DPCC sought suggestions, views, comments, objections and responses from the public on matters relating to the environmental aspects of the proposed project.
A public hearing was also held on Wednesday. “The findings related to this project, received during the public hearings, will be sent to the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change,” said an official of the pollution body.
According to the draft Environmental Impact Assessment report, forest land involving 5.8 hectares falling under the Southern Ridge and 1.7 hectares of deemed forest will be involved. The Ridge Management Board gave its approval to the project in Nov 2022, followed by those of the Central Empowered Committee in June 2023 and the Supreme Court in Oct last year. The proposal informs that permission has been sought in Jan this year under the Forest Conservation Act for the project. The proposal calls for 417 trees to be felled for the project, and compensatory plantation of 4,170 trees has been planned.
Of the 4.9km of the entire project, the tunnel length will be around 4.3km. The capital project cost, including civil, utility shifting and forest and environment, is expected to be Rs 4,089 crore. The project, which was planned a few years ago, aims to decongest traffic.
“As NH48 carries very heavy traffic to Chhatarpur or Vasant Kunj from Gurgaon, it creates heavy congestion at Mahipalpur due to very narrow city roads, traffic to and from Delhi airport and Mahipalpur or Rangpuri market,” the report says. “Since the road bears heavy traffic and has very heavy settlements en route, heavy congestion along this route occurs during the peak hours of the day. Widening along this route is almost difficult due to heavy settlement, and therefore, it was proposed to connect NH248BB with NH148AE at Nelson Mandela Marg to avoid this congestion. The proposed alignment is a green field alignment and en route the posh area of Westend Green and across the Rangpuri Ridge.”
The project will create a route that will take less travel time and resolve the traffic congestion at these places. Land acquisition is not necessary because the project is an underground tunnel, adds the report.