Delhi's Pragati Maidan tunnel opens for traffic

New Delhi, Jun 20 (PTI) The newly inaugurated main tunnel of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project here was thrown open for traffic on Monday, officials said.

For a few days, the tunnel will open for traffic from 8 am to 8 pm on a trial basis, they said.

"Vehicular movement in the tunnel started today morning. Traffic police and well as PWD officials will keep a close watch on the movement of vehicles to ensure that everything goes smoothly," a senior official of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) told PTI.

Commuters welcomed the opening of the tunnel.

Ashima Gaur, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Indirapuram, said the tunnel will help commuters save a lot of time.

"Opening of the tunnel was a dream of every motorist passing through ITO and nearby areas. It's good that we will now be able to avoid traffic snarls in the area and reach our destinations in comparatively less time," she said.

Another commuter, Pradeep Kumar, said the tunnel will not only help people save time and money but also reduce pollution in the city.

The 1.3-km-long tunnel, which is Delhi's first, and five underpasses part of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

According to Public Works Department (PWD) officials, the corridor will allow commuters travelling to India Gate and other central Delhi areas from east Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad to ditch traffic snarls at ITO, Mathura Road and Bhairon Marg.

The tunnel starts near the National Sports Complex of India at the Purana Qila Road and passes underneath the redeveloped Pragati Maidan to meet the Ring Road near the Pragati Power station.