Mehrauli Mahipalpur Road Widening project is being executed in New Delhi. It is an example of an urban development project that is planned and being executed without consideration of environmental issues and community participation. It is leading to wastage of tax payers money. Such projects require Technical, Administrative and Financial audit.

1. Eco Collective of Citizens of Vasant Kunj
ecocollectivecitizensofvkunj@gmail.com
MAEHRAULI – MAHIPALPUR ROAD
WIDENING PROJECT
-
HIGHWAY CUTTING ACROSS A
RESIDENTIAL COLONY
BUT
A ROAD TO NOWHERE

2. Mehrauli Mahipalpur Road being widened from approx. 23 m
metaled road to 75 m ROW road
• Phase I – Andheria Mor to Fortis Hospital (approx. 2.2 km)
• Phase II – Fortis Hospital to Ryan School (approx. 3.3 km)
• Phase III – Ryan school to Shiv Murti at NH 8 – cutting
across the ridge area

3. MEHRAULI – MAHIPALPUR ROAD IN
CONTEXT TO VASANT KUNJ

4. Vasant Kunj in Context of New Delhi

5. Mehrauli – Mahipalpur Road in context of Vasant Kunj

6. • This road is the main spine road of Vasant Kunj
• There are residential sectors that are inter-dependent with social
facilities on both sides of road
• Vasant Kunj has approx. eighteen schools and three hospitals.
• Population stratification is such that considerable segment of
citizens are senior citizens and young families with small children.

7. GOVERNMENT PLANNING TIMELINE
Information source: Approved drawing – PWD/012

8. ROAD PLANNING PROCESS TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS
• 24th Working Group II B Meeting dated 27th Oct. 2010
• Proposal discussed and in principle approval. List of land to be
acquired, land acquisition, necessary statutory approvals to be
taken was to be done by NHAI.
• This indicates that this 75 m ROW road was conceptualized as a
part of the network of highways to relieve the traffic on highways.
NHAI’s mandate is for highways. Why was a highway planned
cutting across an urban residential area?
Information source: Approved drawing – PWD/012

9. ROAD PLANNING PROCESS TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS
• 34th Working Group II B Meeting dated 17th Feb. 2012
• DPR of the project to be prepared by DIMTS
• This new link road is not a Master Plan / Zonal Plan road.
However this new link as a relief road would provide an
important link connecting Gurgaon / Dwarka with South Delhi.
• When this road was proposed it was not a Master Plan road. But
all along in residents’ interactions with government authorities
they were told that it was a Master Plan road. The above
definition also puts it in a category of Primary collector and
should not be more than 40 m ROW. Why not use highways,
proposed 100 m ROW road parallel to this road and Mehrauli
Gurgaon road for this purpose.
Information source: Approved drawing – PWD/012

10. ROAD PLANNING PROCESS TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS
• 42nd Working Group II B Meeting dated 18th Feb. 2013
• instead of finalizing the cross-section of this road, a detailed road
development plan as per street guidelines of UTTIPEC to be prepared with 2-
3 options.
• To resolve the matter, tree cutting and clearing of sites may be stopped and a
meeting may be called in the office of Secretary PWD where all stakeholders
be called.
• Prepare Stage III detail plan as per format for submission for further
discussion in the WG and final approval by the Governing Body based on the
recommendations of WG
• Work is apparently happening just with single line drawings. Detailed drawings,
services plan, detailed cross sections if prepared are not available for the public.
• Where is the Stage III detail plan? If that has not been done why Phase I has
been taken up?
Information source: Approved drawing – PWD/012

11. ROAD PLANNING PROCESS TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS
• 43rd Governing Body Meeting dated 10th May 2013
• The Zonal development plan 75 m ROW may be reduced based
on a comprehensive review of network and feasibility check for
the entire network.
• The detailed intersection design of Andheria Mor and Aruna Asaf
Ali Road to be prepared.
• Phase II and III proposal of the corridor to be proposed and
finalized based on the comprehensive network plan of the area.
• Is comprehensive review of network and feasibility check for the
entire network done? Public does not have access to it.
• Is Phase II and III proposal finalized based on comprehensive
network plan of the area? Public does not have access to it.
Information source: Approved drawing – PWD/012

12. On drawings intersection between Aruna Asaf Ali Road and the road being
widened.
Truncated 75 m
ROW. How would it
be taken further
ahead?
Why is construction
being done with such
drawings?

13. ROAD PLANNING PROCESS TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS
• 44th Governing Body Meeting dated 22nd Aug. 2013
• Submission made by PWD agreed by the Governing Body - ‘The
Zonal plan of 75 m ROW may be maintained by providing green
strips on both sides of development with the ROW as per the
conceptual plan presented in the meeting and a comprehensive
network plan and feasibility check for the entire corridor to be
made.’
• Where is the Comprehensive network plan and Feasibility Check for
the entire corridor? Consolidated Green belts are also not being
provided.
Information source: Approved drawing – PWD/012

14. ROAD EXECUTION EVENTS TIMELINE

15. DECEMBER 2012 - APRIL, 2013
• PWD initiates reclaiming 75 m ROW from Chattarpur side.
• Work not initiated on initial approx. 1km stretch from Andheria
Mor. That stretch has farmhouses and nurseries on both sides.
• Bulldozers start working to demolish boundary walls of the starting
sectors of Vasant Kunj after farmhouses and nurseries.
• Frantic cutting of trees
• Residents try to find the reason for this sudden activity
• Residents number trees
• Residents contact RWAs for knowing the administrative status
and are informed that Road Widening project has started and
RWAs had been informed.

16. DECEMBER 2012 - APRIL, 2013
• Residents meet LG, CM and other administrative nodal authorities
but face apathy.
• Concerned residents try to create awareness through peace
marches, leaflets, public meeting.
• Public view is divided and RWAs of some sectors apparently aid
PWD demolitions
• Residents resist political parties efforts to politicize the issue
• Residents try to interact with PWD and nodal body UTTIPEC to
have participatory planning process.

17. DECEMBER 2012 – APRIL, 2013
• Residents try to get project information through RTIs, but no
conclusive information obtained.
• Residents meet lawyers to understand legal route.
• Sector DII residents file a case in court against demolition of the
fence of their sector and get stay
• Sector DIII residents file a case as the road alignment consumes
the land originally shown by DDA on drawings as sector land
• A green activist files case in NGT regarding cutting of trees
without clearance from Forest Department and gets stay for the
project
• Cases are filed by other establishments along the road alignment

18. Trees Numbered by Residents Painted Over
Photographs – Feb, 2014

19. Storm water drains leading to nowhere
Photographs – Feb, 2014

20. Tarred Road and Kerb Stones Abutting Transmission Towers
Photographs – Feb, 2014

21. Photographs – Feb, 2014

22. Deactivated Traffic Intersection

23. Photographs – Feb, 2014

24. Despite Court Stay Work Happening in February, 2014
Photographs – Feb, 2014

25. Quality of Work? - Trees at Risk
Photographs – Feb, 2014

26. Nurseries Functioning From Road Edge not Touched, But Bus
Stop used by Daily Commuters and School Children broken
for a year

27. Farmhouses Abutting the Road not touched, But DDA
Boundary Walls Demolished
Demolished
Wall and Park
Exposed
Photographs – Feb, 2014

28. Green Areas turned into Barren Land
Photographs – Feb, 2014

29. MAY 2013 – MARCH 2014
• Despite court stay, sporadic construction activity going on
• More trees are cut
• PWD Chief’s office apparently unaware of above events
• Frantic activity in March 2014, whole carpeted width opened up for
traffic and one major traffic light junction deactivated
• Stay on cutting of trees is vacated and permission granted for cutting
of +800 trees for widening road of about 2 km of stretch. +200 trees
had already been cut without permission from Forest department.
• Order given to do compensatory plantation of 1000 trees and
transplantation of +100 trees.

30. APRIL 2014 – MARCH 2015
• Cutting of trees starts at frantic pace.
• Residents approach Appellate Authority regarding the issue that
trees even other than marked trees being cut and for raising the
issue that transplantation of trees has not been successful, but no
action taken.
• Residents file case in High court and stay granted for cutting of
more trees.
• But work going on.
• High court appoints Sunita Narain of CSE as the Amicus Curiae
for the case

31. Healthy big trees being cut
Photographs – Dec, 2014

32. Dhalao
removed
from this
area
Garbage
being
thrown here
32
Dhalao was removed to construct the MUZ (Multi Utility
Zone) along the boundary wall and garbage is being thrown
in the open. Wasn’t this MUZ to be a consolidated Green
Belt?
Photographs – Feb, 2015

33. Such mounds of malba lying
along the road make this whole
area susceptible for bronchial
problems.
Malba being deposited in the
median. Can any greenery
grow or survive in this malba?
33
Photographs – Feb, 2015

34. 34
MUZ stretch being made on either side of road. But, as per MOM of 44th
Governing Body Meeting dated 22nd Aug., 2013 (As shown on drawings), PWD
had got the road width changed back to 75 m ROW with the assurance that on
both sides would be Green Belt. But on drawings it is shown as MUZ and is
being executed like that. Then where will compensatory plantation of trees be
done and where would be the Green buffer from traffic on 75 m wide road.
Photographs – Feb, 2015

35. Water pipeline
blocking the path.
Clear view in the
side photograph.
An MUZ to nowhere…. Alongwith water
pipeline there is an electricity pole which is
precariously unbalanced now. Without
shifting utilities why civil work has been
going on at fast speed working day and
night?
Why such waste of public money?
35
Photographs – Feb, 2015

36. Lanes being made to nowhere…..
Lanes are being made, kerb stones
are being laid but these are abutting
the farmhouse walls or nurseries
where land has not been acquired.
Farmhouse
wall
Farmhouse
wall
Farmhouse
wall
36
Photographs – Feb, 2015

37. February 2014
February 2015
Nurseries have not been shifted
37

38. February 2014
February 2015
Services have not been shifted
38

39. Bus stop
was here
February 2014
February 2015
In 2014 Bus stop was broken, but now it has been demolished.
Some other bus stops have also been demolished. This causes
lot of inconvenience to public including senior citizens, children
etc.
39

40. February 2014
February 2015
Bad quality work and trees damaged. How can a storm water
drain of such quality function effectively?
40

41. Open drains and cables are safety hazards for pedestrians
41
Photographs – Feb, 2015

42. February 2014
February 2015
Road stretch and
storm water drain
to nowhere…….
As the
transmission tower
has not been
shifted
Open manholes
are safety hazard
42

43. Dividers have been broken at
different places. Vehicles turn
from there causing traffic jams
and increasing chance of
accidents.
43
Photographs – Feb, 2015

44. The Funnel effect while
approaching Aruna Asaf Ali
road intersection. Traffic
moving in MUZ area made
open to public.
44
Photographs – Feb, 2015

45. Bad detailing or no thought
given to detailing – but the
focus is on doing kerb stone
work – at present required or
not
45
Photographs – Feb, 2015

46. Exposed tree roots and trees getting
damaged by acidic content of garbage – Are
these trees counted as being saved?
46
Photographs – Feb, 2015

47. December 2014
March 2015
Speed of devastation…….

48. Tarring of road around trees – Work even happening after light time
Photographs – April, 2015

49. How can these trees be saved?
Photographs – April, 2015

50. ROAD WIDTH GUIDELINES

51. ROAD WIDTH GUIDELINES - UTTIPEC
• Arterial Roads – Primary Roads
• Vehicular routes carrying heavy volumes of traffic will generally have
free/stable flow conditions with controlled access.
• Recommended ROW in existing urban areas is 60-80 m and minimum
80 m in the proposed Urban extension
• Present ring road and outer ring road to be converted to access
controlled arterial roads.
• Arterial Roads – Other Primary Roads
• Vehicular routes carrying heavy volumes of traffic.
• Recommended ROW in existing urban area is 45-60 m and minimum 60
m in the proposed urban extension.
Ref. Street Design Guidelines “… for equitable distribution of Road Space” – NUTP
Revision 1: Nov. 2010

52. ROAD WIDTH GUIDELINES - UTTIPEC
• Sub - Arterial Roads – Primary Collector
• Roads connecting major arterial roads and inter-residential
collectors.
• Recommended ROW in existing urban areas is 30-40 m and
minimum 45 m in the proposed Urban extension
Ref. Street Design Guidelines “… for equitable distribution of Road Space” – NUTP
Revision 1: Nov. 2010

53. As per these guidelines, this road can be categorized as Primary
Collector Road and recommended ROW is 30 – 40 m.
Then why is this road being widened to 75 m ROW – WIDER
THAN RING ROAD OR OUTER RING ROAD

54. GLARING REVELATIONS TILL THIS POINT
• Focus only on Phase I. No comprehensive plan for all three
phases.
• Work on Phase I started but land acquisition for more than 20% of
initial stretch on Phase I not initiated. That stretch has farmhouses
and nurseries.
• Order for cutting 810 trees came in August 2014 while the
alignment and broad design were approved in Nov, 2014.
• Probably trees that are not even marked for cutting are being cut.
• The trees that are not cut are being tarred on all sides. How would
these trees survive?
• Shifting of utilities not done even till this stage and tarring of road
being done.

55. How can work be awarded without approvals, preparation of
drawings and land acquisition for the project
Why isn’t there a comprehensive time schedule and development
plan for all three phases
Why isn’t public the main stakeholder consulted on development
projects and why don’t they have access to information on PWD
website
How can work be started in the middle of road alignment

56. Development needs to inclusive with respect for environment and
requirements of people
Public money should not be wasted in name of development
There has to be a system of making planning and executing
authorities accountable for the project outcomes
PWD, UTTIPEC, NGT, Forest Department….pls look into
concerns of the public

57. Thank You
Pls. sign the petition on http://www.change.org/p/minister-of-urban-development-mr-
vankaiah-naidu-chief-minister-of-delhi-mr-arvind-kejriwal-stop-the-mehrauli-
mahipalpur-road-widening-project-and-conduct-its-technical-financial-and-
administrative-audit