Work on the uni-directional right-turn underpass at IFFCO Chowk, which has been held up for several months due to a petrol pump along its alignment, is likely to resume this week with the owner of the establishment Monday initiating the process of shifting it to a new location. “We started the process of shifting the structure today, and expect to complete the removal from the current location at IFFCO Chowk either tomorrow or the day after. Construction has already started at our new site as well,” Sukhjit Mann, who owns the petrol pump, said. “The canopy of the pump was removed today. Rooms that served as offices are still there but will also most likely be demolished tomorrow," she said. The petrol pump had become a bone of contention over the last several months, after the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and the owner failed to reach a consensus about a new site to which it could be shifted. As a result, work on the underpass remained suspended. Although the HSVP had, most recently, allotted a site for the pump in Sector 42, on Golf Course Road, objections raised by officials from Ameya One, a commercial space that is adjoining the site, led to the matter being taken to court. After the Supreme Court directed HSVP to show an alternative site to the owner, a draw of lots was held last week, and a new site was allotted in Sector 26-A, near the Rapid Metro station in Sector 27-28, on Golf Course Road. The right turn underpass, meant for commuters travelling from the direction of HUDA City Centre towards MG Road, was conceptualised in 2016, as part of traffic improvement work at three junctions in the city — the other two were Rajiv Chowk and the Signature Tower junction. According to officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), once the pump is removed, it will take a month for work on the structure to be completed. "Construction of only a 55-metre ramp section of the underpass is pending as of now. This will take a month to be completed, once the pump is removed and work resumes," said Ashok Sharma, project director, NHAI. Apart from the underpass, a uni-directional flyover, meant to facilitate signal-free movement for vehicles headed towards Jaipur from Delhi, is also pending completion, with a 220 KV high-tension tower falling in the way of its alignment. NHAI officials, however, said work is being done to remove this, and they expect the structure to be completed by the end of the month.
