Delhi's new signal-free corridor: How a drain expressway will cut your travel time to IGI Airport, Gurgaon

File photo

In a significant move to address chronic infrastructure deficits, the Delhi Flood Control Board (DFCB) has finally approved the capital’s most extensive drain redevelopment plan after nearly ten years of delays.

The centrepiece of the project is a major new transport corridor along the Najafgarh drain, aimed at revolutionising mobility in the city’s western and southwestern sectors.

Chaired by PWD and Irrigation & Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh, the board’s decision signals a concerted push to tackle long-neglected issues of waterlogging, congestion and poor sanitation. According to a report by News18, the minister attributed these problems directly to years of neglect which have severely deteriorated the city’s drainage network.

The most prominent element of the approved plan is the construction of a 57-kilometre, two-lane service road on both sides of the Najafgarh drain, running parallel to the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II). Sanctioned at a cost of Rs 453.95 crore, this new corridor is designed to function as a swift, high-capacity alternative to the Ring Road and UER-II itself.

As per the report, the expressway is projected to offer major traffic relief for millions. It will notably improve connectivity for four key regions: providing quicker access from Dwarka to the Ring Road; a direct, signal-free route for commuters from Najafgarh and surrounding villages; a faster corridor for travellers from North and Outer Delhi to Indira Gandhi International Airport; and a new bypass option for those journeying from West Delhi towards Gurgaon.

Beyond easing traffic, the ambitious plan directly targets Delhi’s perennial monsoon woes. The board has approved a massive desilting operation to remove 9.1 million cubic metres of accumulated silt from the Najafgarh drain.

The project mandates the use of modern dredging technology and environmentally friendly disposal methods. This intervention is critical to increasing the drain’s carrying capacity and mitigating the extensive waterlogging that plagues the city each rainy season.

The infrastructure push extends beyond West Delhi. In the eastern part of the capital, the DFCB has cleared a detailed feasibility study for constructing an elevated road along Trunk Drain Number-1. Additional approved projects for East Delhi include the beautification of the Shahdara Link Drain, reconstruction of damaged boundary walls and remodelling of the Kailash Nagar drain. These measures are expected to benefit densely populated areas such as Gandhi Nagar and Seelampur.

Minister Singh emphasised that the government is now operating in "mission mode" to address these long-standing issues. He stated that all approved projects would be closely monitored to ensure timely delivery, with the ultimate aim of providing Delhi with world-class urban infrastructure. This comprehensive approval marks a decisive, if belated, step towards untangling the city’s intertwined crises of transit and drainage.