Almost two decades after the Sultanpuri flyover project was conceived, the development of the key railway overbridge (ROB) remains mired in delays, with land acquisition issues and legal challenges expected to further stall completion, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials said.
Till date, the Rani Jhansi and RTR flyovers are considered among the slowest-executed infrastructure projects in Delhi, and the Sultanpuri-Nangloi ROB/RUB project seems headed in the same direction, owing to inordinate delays over the past 18 years, said officials. The project was reviewed two weeks ago in a meeting chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta, a senior civic official said.
The project, once complete, is expected to improve connectivity for thousands of people living in Sultanpuri, Rohini, Nangloi and Kirari.
The Sultanpuri ROB/RUB project was sanctioned in 2008 and construction began in 2010. By 2021, only about 70% of the work had been completed, largely due to a paucity of funds.
“The previous contractor ran into financial disputes and finally rescinded the contract in 2015. We had to auction off the construction material to recover some losses. A new agency was hired in 2017 and the underpass portion of the project was opened for commuters in September 2023,” the official said. “Almost 97% of the physical work at the site of the railway overbridge has been completed, but the flyover section is still incomplete due to several plots lying in the alignment of the ramp.”
A second MCD official said, “The last contractor abandoned the project midway in 2018 and more than 184.5 tonnes of steel bars at the site were sold for scrap at ₹22 per kilo to partially recover the losses.”
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The second official, requesting anonymity, said the project has also faced several court cases over land acquisition and relocation. “A few owners of plots in the alignment of the flyover ramp have obtained a stay from the Delhi High court. Following this, a videographic survey of the entire stretch of the ROB has been done using drones and it shall be submitted before the court in the next hearing,” the official said.
The first component of the project — the rail underbridge — was opened on September 4, 2023, more than 13 years after work began on the twin junction in 2010. A senior Northern Railway official said the railway portion of the Sultanpuri ROB and RUB was completed in 2013, while the approach roads were to be constructed by the municipal corporation. “No work is pending from our side,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
Residents and commuters said the incomplete flyover continues to cause severe traffic congestion in the area.
Rajesh Balyan, a local resident, said the flyover has become a persistent bottleneck. “It was expected to alleviate congestion by providing shorter route bypassing the Rohtak road and Outer Ring Road but people have now suffered for almost two decades. Last year, the MCD opened it from Nangloi but the right carriageway is still missing. E-rickshaws have made the situation worse,” he added.
Ritesh Monga, another resident, said people have been staring at the half-complete flyover for over 10 years now. “Why did they even start it when there was no land available? This 100m stretch sometimes takes 30–40 minutes for commuters to cross,” he added.