The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has sent back to the drawing board the Railway ministry’s ambitious project to make New Delhi railway station a “world class” junction. The development agency has refused to prove certain salient features of the Rs 6,000-crore plan, Newsline has learnt. The Railway ministry had submitted the plan to DDA a few weeks ago, since the Authority’s go-ahead is crucial before launching any development work in the Capital. A railway official said project details, including plans to construct an 18-storey complex at the station as a “commercial component”, were forwarded to DDA for approval. Detailed built-up area proposals were also forwarded, sources said.Sources in DDA’s planning department confirmed that the Railways’ plans for commercial development were disapproved after much criticism. “The area where such development is being proposed cannot handle that kind of infrastructure pressure,” a DDA official from the planning department said. “The proposal for commercial development needs to be revisited keeping in mind an area’s constraints.”The DDA is of the opinion that Railways cannot develop the station in isolation. “They have to build approach roads leading up to various proposed structures; the area may not be able to handle such additions,” the official said.While many in DDA also found fault with the 18-storey commercial complex, it is still not clear whether the Authority has approved it. The planning department official simply said: “There are certain anomalies in the built-up area plans for that proposal.” The Railways had admitted in the past that plans for the commercial complex — including many retail outlets, restaurants, ATMs and so forth — are open to change. “The structure is not finalised,” a Railway official said. “We have just circulated a basic design and hope to finalise other details later.”The project entails a complete conversion of 86 hectares. It was initially supposed to be completed by 2010, to coincide with the Commonwealth Games, but the ministry announced this January that it would not be able to complete the entire project by then. A public-private partnership project, the airspace above the station and railway land around the station is slated to be used as commercial components. For now, though, the plans may have to be delayed yet again. For, the Railway ministry will need clear approvals from the DDA technical committee before it can begin development.
