New Delhi, Aug. 26 -- The Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department has initiated the process for the development of a surface-level corridor along the Chhawla region of the Najafgarh drain, the largest tributary of the Yamuna in Delhi, in a bid to boost connectivity of southwest Delhi with the rest of the Capital and key high-speed corridors, senior officials said. In the first phase, the department has invited bids worth around Rs.9.2 crore for developing a double-lane road on the right bank of the drain in the Chhawla-Dhulsiras stretch. The project, funded through the Centre's Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) fund, will include dismantling the damaged bituminous surface and rebuilding the corridor with new drainage, street lighting and horticultural features. The bidding process will close by September 8, and construction is expected to begin immediately after. Officials said the contractor will be liable for five years of free maintenance in case of any damage. "This model will later be extended in other patches along the drain in phases. The corridor will provide southwest Delhi areas direct connectivity to Urban Extension Road-2, Dwarka Expressway, Gurugram and the airport," a senior official said. The Najafgarh drain, earlier known as the Sahibi river, originates in Rajasthan and joins the Yamuna. Of its 57km stretch in Delhi, 18km runs through rural areas before entering a 39km urban stretch. It is the largest contributor of pollutants to the Yamuna and is part of the government's river rejuvenation drive. Parallel to the corridor development, the I&FC has also launched the "Najafgarh riverfront project" at the Vipin Garden section near Dwarka, where 50 acres of land will be redeveloped, including a 21-acre park with walking tracks, play areas, a Chhat Ghat, parking facilities and landscaping. Thousands of residents in colonies such as Punjabi Bagh, Paschim Vihar, Nilothi, Baprola, Kakrola, Najafgarh, Dwarka, Vikaspuri, Uttam Nagar, Janakpuri and Chhawla are expected to benefit from the corridor, which officials said will ease congestion and provide alternative routes to Basaidarapur, Keshavpur, Vikaspuri, Dwarka Expressway, the airport and the Inner and Outer Ring Roads. The idea of a road along the Najafgarh drain has been in the pipeline for more than a decade. A similar plan floated by the Congress government in 2012 faced resistance from environmentalists. In 2022, the AAP government announced a 27km road between Chhawla and Basaidarapur at a cost of Rs.350 crore, but the project did not materialise. In May this year, the BJP government announced a 60.77km network of new roads along the drain, including a two-lane road on the left bank from Jhatikra Bridge to Chhawla Bridge (5.94 km) and two-lane roads on both banks between Chhawla Bridge and Basaidarapur Bridge (54.83 km). Officials clarified that these announcements all relate to the same plan of developing a connectivity corridor along the drain's banks. The ongoing Rs.9.2 crore Chhawla-Dhulsiras project is a small first step under the larger 60km corridor, which will be executed in phases....