New Delhi, Oct. 29 -- From setting up police booths at busy junctions to turning neglected underpasses into themed public spaces, Delhi's flyovers are being planned for a makeover that combines security, art and community use. The Public Works Department is constructing 400-500 police booths beneath flyovers across the Capital, while five flyovers and a stretch of Aurobindo Marg are being developed with themes ranging from wildlife and science to classical dance and yoga.
PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh visited the Chirag Delhi and IIT Delhi flyovers on Thursday to review the progress of the beautification initiative, under which corporate partners are adopting and maintaining public spaces through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
The police booths are being constructed using PWD funds in coordination with Delhi Police. Once completed, they will be handed over to the force to strengthen its presence at busy junctions and corridors across the city.
"The space under our flyovers should serve the people of Delhi. PWD is building these booths with its own money and handing them over to Delhi Police. When a police booth stands at a busy junction, people feel safer and the police can respond faster," Singh said, adding that the work would progress flyover by flyover in coordination with the police. Separately, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd has adopted five flyovers, Chirag Delhi, Panchsheel, IIT Delhi, Punjabi Bagh and Mukarba Chowk, along with a stretch of Aurobindo Marg under a MoU. The company will maintain these sites for three years.
The spaces are being developed according to themes selected to suit their surroundings. Chirag Delhi will feature nature and wildlife, Panchsheel will showcase Indian classical dance through modern art, IIT Delhi will have a science and technology theme, Punjabi Bagh will feature a Yogshala, and Mukarba Chowk will be developed as an inter-transit hub.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.