NHAI yet to take charge of South Delhi's Mandi Road

Time of India

a day ago

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Three months after Delhi government's plan to transfer Mandi Road to the National Highways Authority of India, there is still no clarity on the status of the handover. Meanwhile frustration is growing among residents and motorists, who are now urging authorities to expedite the process in light of the deteriorating traffic conditions.Mandi Road, one of south Delhi's most heavily congested stretches, is a critical alternative route connecting Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road with Faridabad-Gurgaon Road. The corridor winds through rural settlements, upscale farmhouses and compact commercial clusters. But it is inconsistent in its width and infrastructure, making travel both inconvenient and unsafe.As happens during rains, by afternoon on Saturday, the road was inundated in knee-deep water. "I stood there one afternoon for nearly 20 minutes, just taking in the scene - people wading through the accumulated water, traffic at a standstill," said Juhi, a local resident. "It made me question where we were living. Even picking up children from school has become a challenge."While the proposed right of way for the road is 30 metres, the current width fluctuates sharply between just 8m and 18m. This, combined with the absence of lane markings, street lighting, pedestrian pathways and traffic signals renders the route dangerous and inefficient. The most critical point of congestion is at the entry from MG Road, where potholes, broken surfaces and bottlenecks cause regular traffic snarls. Emergency vehicles, school buses, and daily commuters often find themselves stuck there for long periods.The road-widening project, which requires the acquisition of 16.9 hectares of land, was first conceptualised in 2012. It was formally approved by road engineering authority Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) in March 2023. Despite this clearance, no physical work commenced on site.The proposed handover to NHAI comprises two segments: the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road to the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) and UER-II to Faridabad-Gurgaon Road. Together, these segments form a 7.7km stretch under the broader Mandi Road corridor. According to the latest updates, despite two official reminders to NHAI, no physical handover has taken place, according to officials.Rajiv Tandon, general secretary, Federation of South Delhi Farm Houses RWAs, which represents over 1,200 farmhouses and over 25 RWAs in the Chhatarpur belt, said, "We had a glimmer of hope first in 2012, then in 2023, and finally, earlier this year when surveys were conducted. But even after three months, there's been no action on the ground. These bureaucratic delays crush the hopes of all residents." He added, "The road is far too narrow for the traffic it bears - easily 10 times more than its capacity. Add water tankers, school vans, buses and the occasional tractor from farmhouses, and chaos is inevitable."Other city roads scheduled for transfer to NHAI have seen at least some administrative progress, such as issue of internal orders, even if physical transfer was still pending. Two stretches of NH10 (Rohtak Road) - Peeragarhi to Tikri Border (13.2km) and Peeragarhi to Zakhira (6.8km) - received NHAI's internal clearance and round 8km of NH148A (MG Road) has also been given internal clearance, although physical handover of both roads is awaited. Internal approvals for the 7.5km between Ali Village and Ring Road on NH2 (Mathura Road) have also been issued.Regarding Mandi Road, officials claimed, "The work is already under process and every formality will be completed soon."