Delhi: Pragati Maidan tunnel witnesses waterlogging due to rain

The Pragati Maidan tunnel, which connects India Gate with Ring Road here, witnessed waterlogging on Monday due to rain, with officials saying the problem persisted for only a few minutes.

The tunnel will be used by delegates during the G20 Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, on June 19 last year, inaugurated the 1.3-km-long tunnel and five underpasses as part of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project that aims to ease connectivity between central Delhi with the eastern parts of the city and the satellite towns of Noida and Ghaziabad.

One end of the tunnel is near the National Sports Complex of India (NSCI) on Purana Qila Road. The tunnel passes underneath the redeveloped Pragati Maidan and its other end is on Ring Road, near the Pragati power station.

''There was waterlogging for five to seven minutes. These were unexpected rains. Usually, we witness rains around May-end. The cleaning work of the underground sumps is underway and it will be completed soon. Garbage got stuck in the sumps, which led to waterlogging, but the issue was resolved soon,'' an official said.

He said video clips doing the rounds of social media platforms were of the waterlogging that happened in the initial few minutes after the rain started.

''There will be no waterlogging in the next few days,'' he asserted.

Heavy rains lashed the national capital on Monday, leading to traffic and waterlogging woes for commuters.