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“We never used to walk here during lunch hour but now, my three colleagues and I come every day as the stretch has become more aesthetic with colourful benches, artefacts, walkways and greenery,” said Shirin, who works at India Habitat Centre. She was referring to a 500-metre stretch on Lodhi Road which is being redeveloped as part of the Delhi government’s streetscaping project.
Under its ambitious plan to give a European makeover to Delhi roads, the Public Works Department (PWD) picked seven busiest and congested roads on a pilot basis for redevelopment in 2019. In 2021, nine more sample stretches were selected.
The Indian Express visited five of 16 stretches — Lodhi Road IHC signal to Air Force Bal Bharati School (500 m); Road Number 43 Pitampura West Enclave to Haryana Maitri Bhawan (3 km); Moti Bagh to Mayapuri (8.5 km); Aurobindo Marg (500 m); Shantivan-Rajghat (500 m) — and took stock of the ground situation.
At the Lodhi Road stretch, work is almost completed and it is expected to be opened by Diwali. It has been given an artistic theme with modern sculptures and artefacts. Just opposite the IHC, the PWD has also installed steel boards with pictures and information about famous personalities — Nobel prize winner Rabindranath Tagore, theatre legend Ebrahim Alkazi, painter Amrita Shergill, Kathak pioneer Birju Maharaj and classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj, American architect Joseph Allen Stein and Padma Vibhushan Teejan Bai.
Besides, the stretch also has pergola sheds with decorative lights, granite cobblestone flooring, red sandstone bollards, benches and toilets. The PWD has also created a car park every 25 metres on the stretch, with capacity for three cars.
“Work is almost complete… The target date of completion was October 10, but final finishing work will be done in a week,” said Ram Prasad Tiwari, Assistant Civil Engineer present at the site. Officials also said pedestrian directions boards have been installed.
At the Shantivan stretch, the PWD has given a natural floral theme by planting seasonal and colourful plants on both sides of the road and central verge. “We are planting seasonal plants like Ficus Panda, Ficus Starlight, snake plant, Alpinia, Marchantia, Chinese palm, Areca palm, red, black and maroon flowers. The plants have been transported from Andhra Pradesh, Pune and Odisha…,” said Vipin Jadhav, a site engineer.
He said at the central verge, the department is creating multi-colour flower beds with white, black and maroon flowers. It will also sport a globe statue. Further, the drainage line on the entire stretch is also being redeveloped. The stretch has three lanes for cycling, walking and parking.
At the 8.5-km Moti Bagh stretch, the longest to be redeveloped, the PWD has completed a portion from Gurdwara Moti Bagh Sahib to Moti Bagh Metro station. It is also one of the busiest stretches surrounded by government offices and residential areas. Here, the department has used an ‘entertainment; theme with open spaces for walking, sitting, cycling and relaxing. From its earlier ‘deserted’ look, it now sports high-tech automatic LED lights on sidewalks and footpaths. An ‘entertainment’ plaza with music speakers and other public facilities has also been created to make the stretch lively.
Said a senior official: “People are visiting this stretch in large numbers. Due to the clean and accessible footpaths and seating area, people come in the evening for a walk and to sit and relax. Apart from this, plants, different types of light poles, WiFi, CCTVs, and pedestrian signage with Braille facilities are being developed.”
The Indian Express next took a walk down road number 43 in Pitampura — which is surrounded by a college, hospital and residential areas — and found that broken footpaths and damaged roads have been replaced by plants, shrubs, geometrically shaped chairs and benches, even roads, segregated space for bus queue shelters, and pedestrian and cycle tracks.
Taranjit Kaur, a student of Keshav Mahavidyalaya who was taking a selfie with her friend at a ‘Dil walon ki dilli’ grass statue, said, “When I took admission in the college, the roads were good but not like how it is now. It used to be crowded, with vehicles and e-rickshaws parked everywhere and there was no space for pedestrians to walk or sit. Now, it is completely developed. After college, we sit here and take selfies.”
Shivani, another student, said, “I come from Budh Vihar near Mangolpuri and we don’t have such well-developed roads there… I feel all roads should be redeveloped like this, so both pedestrians and commuters can have a smooth travel experience.”
While the stretch also has parking for ambulances outside Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital, it was encroached by street vendors and food stalls.
For maintenance of these stretches and to prevent theft, the PWD plans to hire contractors and security guards. “These stretches are of European standards and have different elements/surfaces. To maintain these, professional manpower and high-end machinery is used,” said officials.
The PWD also has plans to install e-vehicle charging points on these stretches.
Officials said work began in 2019 and the target was to complete it in a year, but Covid and lack of funds delayed the project. “However, it is now on track and nearing completion. We have already handed over several portions of these sample stretches for public use. Nine sample stretches will be completed by Diwali and inaugurated by October end,” said a senior PWD official overseeing the streetscaping project.
Once completed, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will inspect them and the best design will be selected to be replicated for other roads. The government plans to revamp 500 km of roads on European standards across Delhi.
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