Delhi's Pragati Maidan tunnel overhaul delayed, expert committee formed

A five-member expert committee, consisting of members of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and Public Works Department (PWD), has been formed following a delay in the suggested total repair of the Pragati Maidan tunnel in Delhi.

The 5-member committee will address the flaws and inspect the report from the construction company Larsen and Toubro, which was directed to conduct an immediate repair of the structure.

This comes days after the department issued a notice of Rs 500 crore to Larsen and Toubro (L&T), the company behind the tunnel's construction, over alleged "glaring infirmities" in the Rs 777 crore key tunnel project in the national capital.

The 1.3-km-long tunnel, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2022, witnessed multiple closures due to waterlogging during the Delhi floods last year.

The PWD notice alleged that the project, with the passage of time, revealed "glaring infirmities that were not only technical in nature but were also design flaws", with the key issue being “the accumulation of water”.

The department had alleged that L&T’s "failure to act on the issues being faced by the general public and the resultant public safety hazard, is not only a dereliction of your duty/obligations towards the general public but also contravenes the terms of the agreement.”

The "notable variation" in the actual construction is likely to cause an "irreparable and unprecedented impact" on the underpasses and tunnels intended to be utilised by the public for years, the notice further stated.

The department also directed the company to immediately deposit a 'minimum token amount of Rs 500 crore' and initiate repair and rectification work on the tunnel. However, the company had filed a counter-claim of Rs 500 crore.

The tunnel, part of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project aimed at easing connectivity between central Delhi and the eastern parts of the city, as well as the satellite towns of Noida and Ghaziabad, witnesses significant traffic each day.