Notice to 2 PWD engineers for flaws in Pragati Maidan tunnel

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 8

Marred by frequent closures due to waterlogging, seepage and leakages, the prestigious Pragati Maidan underground tunnel project, connecting Mathura Road to Mahatma Gandhi Marg, has run into rough weather, prompting the Delhi Government to take action against those responsible for “serious design flaws”.

Shortcomings noticed

• Continuous leakage from expansion joints
• Foundational cracks in concrete cement at various places in the tunnel and underpass
• Waterlogging and malfunction of drainage systems across the tunnel
• Saucer drains missing at various locations
• Water dripping from ceiling at many places
• Unexplained seepage of ground-water from under the concrete surface, so much so that the company had to cut a drain at several places to drain out the water

1.3-km-long Tunnel has five underpasses

• The Pragati Maidan tunnel is 1.3-km-long and has five underpasses
• L&T was awarded the contract through letter of acceptance on October 24, 2017
• The project started on November 8, 2017, and was to be completed in 2019
• It was finally completed in 2022 & inaugurated by PM Modi on June 19, 2022

Highlighting the “potential threat the construction poses to the lives of passengers utilising the tunnel and its underpasses in its current state”, the Delhi Government’s Public Works Department has issued a legal notice to contractor Larsen and Toubro for Rs 500 crore as a minimum token amount towards damages and to repair the damages within 15 days.

This comes amidst assertions from top sources that the tunnel is too dysfunctional to be repaired and would require a complete overhaul.

On the orders of Lieutenant-Governor VK Saxena, the state government has also initiated action against the then Delhi Public Works Department engineers, PK Parmar and Iqbal Singh, for their failure to effectively supervise the project. Parmar did not respond when contacted.

While Parmar is currently posted in the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Guwahati, Iqbal is posted in the National CPWD Academy, Ghaziabad, UP.

The two engineers have been served show-cause notices and instructed to reply within 15 days. They were both involved in the supervision of the Integrated Transit Corridor Development along Mathura Road, Bhairon Marg and Mahatma Gandhi Marg. The project aimed to ease congestion and improve connectivity across New Delhi.

Running parallel to Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the 2023 G20 summit, the project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 19, 2022. Despite being delayed by over four years and seven months, the project continues to exhibit serious flaws. The notice to the two PWD engineers says, “Within weeks of inauguration, the project revealed glaring infirmities, which were not only technical in nature but also design flaws. The most alarming issue was the accumulation of water across various locations in the underpasses. Especially during monsoons, this rendered the project non-operational for the public and ultimately led to more blockages along the arterial roads of New Delhi.”

In a separate legal notice to L&T, which had secured the Rs 777 crore project entirely funded by the Government of India, the Delhi government said, “The company is put on notice in respect of serious technical deficiencies identified in the project...and the potential threat the construction poses to the lives of passengers utilising the tunnels and underpasses in their current state.”

The decision to take action follows L-G’s last visit to the tunnel on January 17, during which he expressed concern about the project’s persistent issues with waterlogging and seepage. Despite three inspections in August 2023, September 2023 and January 2024, where L&T engineers were present and instructed to rectify the issues, the problems persisted.

According to sources in the L-G’s office, as per the contract conditions, maintenance and repair of the project was solely the responsibility of L&T.

In response, an L&T statement said, “PWD Delhi is an esteemed client, and we value the long years of association we have enjoyed with them. However, L&T would like to state that a counter-claim of Rs 500 cr has been made by the company against PWD Delhi.”

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