New Delhi, April 28 -- In a city notorious for traffic and pollution, Anand Vihar stands apart as one of the busiest and most chaotic sections of Delhi. Authorities are now considering an elaborate plan with a string of interventions to decongest the area and implement a multimodal integration plan. The major ideas being considered are the development of an underpass below the railway station to connect vehicular traffic around the "multimodal hub" with Karkardooma; a new pedestrian bridge with a travellator to streamline pedestrian traffic around the railway station, inter-state bus station (ISBT), and Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) station; and the extension of an already existing foot overbridge, senior government officials said. A government official said a joint meeting of road-owning and transport agencies was recently held to develop the plan that will bring much-needed integration to the multimodal hub, where several forms of transport - vehicles of key roads, two major bus terminals (Anand Vihar ISBT and the Kaushambi depot across the street), a high-footfall metro station, a regular railway station, and now the RRTS high-speed railway corridor - all fall within a tight area. The primary concern to be addressed, officials explained, is the lack of connectivity to the Karkardooma side. "Currently there is no direct connectivity from Karkardooma side to the Anand Vihar transport hub, due to which passengers from that side have to travel a long distance to reach the transport hub. Northern Railways informed that discussions are being held with NCRTC [the government venture implementing RRTS] for exploring the feasibility of an underpass across Anand Vihar Railway Station to connect Karkardooma side to the transport hub," an official explained. HT has seen a copy of the plan dated March 27. Anand Vihar is consistently ranked as one of the most severe pollution and traffic congestion hotspots in the Delhi-NCR region, frequently recording "severe" category air quality index (AQI) levels in winter. It is considered a localised "hot spot" due to the convergence of multiple heavy pollution sources. A second official said currently there is no arterial road connecting Karkardooma directly to Anand Vihar Railway Station. "People typically reach Anand Vihar Railway Station from Ghaziabad Road either via Master Somnath Marg or by taking Swami Dayanand Marg. While there are numerous small and narrow roads connecting residential colonies to the railway station, they are invariably plagued by traffic congestion. A direct underpass will resolve the car movement issue, while extending the FOB will take care of pedestrian movement." Additionally, a new FOB will be constructed to facilitate commuters traveling to and from the railway station from the Kaushambi side of Uttar Pradesh - across the street. This FOB will feature amenities similar to the travellators currently installed at metro stations at the airport and Rajouri Garden. "There is an existing FOB connecting Anand Vihar Railway Station, Anand Vihar ISBT, Anand Vihar Metro Station, Kaushambi Bus Stand in Uttar Pradesh, and Anand Vihar RRTS Station. An additional FOB has been proposed," an official said. Northern Railway has also been requested to extend the existing FOB to the Karkardooma side. The report states, "Northern Railway assured that the NOC for the same shall be provided." A PWD official said, "An additional pedestrian bridge with a travellator will help in dispersion of crowds." A NCRTC spokesperson said, "Preliminary discussions are going on among all the concerned stakeholders the seamless multimodal integration." Northern Railways did not respond to HT for a comment....