JAIPUR: It’s 11.30am on a weekday. On the Jhotwara-bound flank of the Khatipura Road, a barricade has been placed, about 300-metre from the Jhotwara crossing, to divert the traffic on the opposite Khatipura-bound flank.
Right at the crossing, while a section of JDA workers work on the pillars of the under-construction ramps, a team of enforcement department officials is busy demolishing the structures adjacent to the pillars to make way for the ramp.
In the midst of this ‘massive’ work, chaos prevails along the Khatipura Road. As the vehicles of opposite direction are plying only on the Khatipura-bound flank up till around 250 metre from the crossing, traffic is moving at less than a snail’s pace on this stretch. Worse, traffic is coming to a standstill whenever a bigger vehicle, like a bus of the Jaipur City Transport Services Limited, is hitting the stretch.
“God knows when this project would be completed. It’s been almost five years that this project has been going on. Look at the condition of the road. My business is affected severely owing to this project,” said Lokesh Saini, a garment dealer whose shop is next to the diversion point. If officials of the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) are to be believed, then Saini’s plight may get over within the next two to three months. JDA officials have set a revised deadline of September 2023 to complete this project.
Officials said that most pillars for the ROB and the added ramps have been completed. This was the major portion of this project. Now, since JDA has obtained possession of the entire lands that were obstructing the construction of the ramps, the remaining construction work won’t take much time.
“We have set a deadline of September 2023. The only obstruction is the monsoon and the rain. If rain doesn’t play spoilsport, we would finish the project within the revised deadline,” said Ajay Pratap Singh Rathore, the executive engineer looking after this project. Once the project is completed, vehicles heading towards Jaipur from Jhotwara can take the flyover from the Panchayat Bhavan. A ramp from the Khatipura Road would meet this flank and another from Jhotwara Industrial Estate would meet just before the railway lines. Vehicles bound for Jhotwara Industrial Area can take a left turn on this ramp.
This flank will have one exit near the Chomu Puliya Circle (for Sikar Road-bound vehicles) and would end at Ambabadi. The flank at the opposite direction (the old bridge) would also have one exit—towards the Khatipura Road— and would end at Lata Circle.
Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje had laid the foundation stone for this project in July 2018. But as soon as the construction work for the project was initiated, problems started with a stretch of 125 metre as landowners were unwilling to hand over their lands needed to complete this project.
“The problem for the delay was the 604 structures that were creating hindrance in completion of this project. These structures are located between the old bridge and Panchyat Bhawan side of the project and comprise mainly shops, godowns and a few residences,” a JDA engineer informed.
Right at the crossing, while a section of JDA workers work on the pillars of the under-construction ramps, a team of enforcement department officials is busy demolishing the structures adjacent to the pillars to make way for the ramp.
In the midst of this ‘massive’ work, chaos prevails along the Khatipura Road. As the vehicles of opposite direction are plying only on the Khatipura-bound flank up till around 250 metre from the crossing, traffic is moving at less than a snail’s pace on this stretch. Worse, traffic is coming to a standstill whenever a bigger vehicle, like a bus of the Jaipur City Transport Services Limited, is hitting the stretch.
“God knows when this project would be completed. It’s been almost five years that this project has been going on. Look at the condition of the road. My business is affected severely owing to this project,” said Lokesh Saini, a garment dealer whose shop is next to the diversion point. If officials of the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) are to be believed, then Saini’s plight may get over within the next two to three months. JDA officials have set a revised deadline of September 2023 to complete this project.
Officials said that most pillars for the ROB and the added ramps have been completed. This was the major portion of this project. Now, since JDA has obtained possession of the entire lands that were obstructing the construction of the ramps, the remaining construction work won’t take much time.
“We have set a deadline of September 2023. The only obstruction is the monsoon and the rain. If rain doesn’t play spoilsport, we would finish the project within the revised deadline,” said Ajay Pratap Singh Rathore, the executive engineer looking after this project. Once the project is completed, vehicles heading towards Jaipur from Jhotwara can take the flyover from the Panchayat Bhavan. A ramp from the Khatipura Road would meet this flank and another from Jhotwara Industrial Estate would meet just before the railway lines. Vehicles bound for Jhotwara Industrial Area can take a left turn on this ramp.
This flank will have one exit near the Chomu Puliya Circle (for Sikar Road-bound vehicles) and would end at Ambabadi. The flank at the opposite direction (the old bridge) would also have one exit—towards the Khatipura Road— and would end at Lata Circle.
Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje had laid the foundation stone for this project in July 2018. But as soon as the construction work for the project was initiated, problems started with a stretch of 125 metre as landowners were unwilling to hand over their lands needed to complete this project.
“The problem for the delay was the 604 structures that were creating hindrance in completion of this project. These structures are located between the old bridge and Panchyat Bhawan side of the project and comprise mainly shops, godowns and a few residences,” a JDA engineer informed.
