Waterlogging in Pragati Maidan tunnel belies PWD's claims

Traffic moved at a slow pace due to waterlogging in the tunnel, which connects India Gate with the Ring Road. A new drainage network of wider pipes with high water discharge capacity has been laid in and around the tunnel to discourage waterlogging, they had stressed.

The newly inaugurated Pragati Maidan tunnel reported waterlogging during the first monsoon rains in the city on Thursday morning. Traffic moved at a slow pace due to waterlogging in the tunnel, which connects India Gate with the Ring Road. There was no immediate reaction available from the Public Works Department (PWD) regarding reason of the waterlogging inside the tunnel.

Earlier this week, the PWD officials have claimed that they have made elaborate arrangements in the tunnel to allay fears of waterlogging.

They had claimed automatic pumps along with seven underground sumps have been constructed in the tunnel for swift discharge of the water. A new drainage network of wider pipes with high water discharge capacity has been laid in and around the tunnel to discourage waterlogging, they had stressed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on June 19 inaugurated the city's first 1.3-km long tunnel and five underpasses as part of Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project that aims to ease connectivity between central Delhi with eastern part of the city and satellite towns of Noida and Ghaziabad.

The tunnel starts near National Sports Complex of India (NSCI) on Purana Qila Road and passes underneath the redeveloped Pragati Maidan to culminate at the Ring Road near Pragati Power station.

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