The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has approved the Public Works Department’s (PWD) proposal to resolve a major bottleneck at Underpass-5, part of the Integrated Transit Corridor Development Project at Pragati Maidan.
According to an official statement from the department, the approval comes with a clear directive that no additional financial burden shall be placed on the exchequer.
Welcoming the Centre’s decision, PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said, “This is not just a clearance — it is a green signal for speed, transparency, and accountability. Every rupee spent on infrastructure must yield public value, and I am glad this solution upholds both engineering integrity and financial responsibility. I thank MoHUA for their support. Now, execution is our top priority — delay is not an option.”
The department noted that the project will be completed within the existing sanctioned funds, ensuring prudent use of taxpayer money. Quality control will be enforced through third-party validation to ensure transparency and accountability.
The approved plan includes three key interventions to strengthen the structure beneath the railway embankment: Grouting of voids beneath the elevated railway bed; stitching of displaced blocks, and adoption of the cast-in-situ construction method with revised width and height specifications — deemed the most technically viable solution under current conditions.
Underpass-5 is a critical component of Delhi’s strategic transit upgrade, designed to ease congestion around Pragati Maidan, ITO, and surrounding arterial roads. Once operational, it is expected to ensure smooth vehicular movement, particularly during major conventions and public events at the ITPO complex.
Minister Singh has directed PWD officials to begin the approved works immediately and submit weekly progress reports to his office. The project is now being positioned as a model of high-impact infrastructure executed with fiscal discipline and administrative resolve, the statement added.