Even Games showpieces sink (Times of India 09 September 2011)

NEW DELHI: Friday's downpour proved that even engineering marvels showcased by the Delhi government during the Commonwealth Games are vulnerable. Tall claims by town planners fell flat when the Ring Road bypass linking Salimgarh Fort to IGI stadium near ITO was flooded for several hours, triggering a three-km bumper-to-bumper jam on the stretch. Public Works Department officials, however, said unprecedented rain had sparked the crisis. Even the area outside Jungpura metro station that was built before the Games was waterlogged.

"There was knee-deep water on the elevated road near Salimgarh Fort, below the old railway bridge. A DTC bus going towards Rajghat broke down in the middle of the road, triggering more traffic jams," said Rajeev Mehta, a trader. He said the elevated road was constructed last year and flooding of the stretch reflects poorly on our engineers and town planners. What's even more shocking, the ITO underpass was waterlogged till late on Friday, several hours after the rain had stopped.
"Unlike other roads, the Ring Road bypass was a new project. It was built at a cost of Rs 650 crore and already cracks are showing. The drainage system has crashed and there are no alternative arrangements to flush out water to ensure smooth traffic flow," he said. The Ring Road bypass was built to ensure signal-free movement of traffic from north-to-south and south-to-north Delhi from Salimgarh to IGI stadium near ITO.
"The pumps proved ineffective in the face of heavy rain. Last year, there was no such problem," said a PWD official. Another shocking example of poor engineering was the stretch near the Jangpura Metro station, which was built before the Games to enable spectators to reach the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. On Friday, people had to cross through knee-deep water to reach the main road. "I paid a rickshaw-wallah extra money to take me to the other side," said Rashmi Pandit, a resident of Jungpura.
Moolchand flyover, one of the vulnerable waterlogging points, remained submerged for several hours on Friday. Traffic was diverted. Similar problems were witnessed at the AIIMS underpass and main flyover. MCD claimed that lack of planning to drain out water on the flyovers led to traffic jams. "PWD and other agencies that have built the flyover did not plan for drainage," said Mayor Rajni Abbi