The Pragati Maidan tunnel in Delhi, decorated ahead of the G20 Summit, is now posing a potential threat to the lives of commuters, a report by the Indian Express said. According to the report, the multi-crore six-lane tunnel and its underpasses are under the scanner of the Public Works Department (PWD).

The Pragati maidan Tunnel

According to the PWD, some of the major issues of the tunnel include leakage, large cracks in concrete/cement, water-logging, poor drainage system, non-uniformity of kerbstones, missing saucer drains, and unexplained seepage of groundwater, the report said.

The maintenance agency of the government has reportedly sent a notice to the executors of the tunnel – Larsen and Toubro (L&T) – to deposit ₹500 crore for the technical work immediately saying that the repair and maintenance cost should be borne by them.

“The fault in design and other quality parameter-related issues cannot be resolved without a major revamp and maintenance/overhaul of the entire project…These include deficiencies in the integrated transit corridor that runs along Mathura Road, Bhairon Marg, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, and connecting Mathura Road to Mahatma Gandhi Marg via an underground tunnel below Pragati Maidan,” the PWD said in its notice, as reported by the Indian Express.

The PWD, in its notice, also warned the company that in case they fail to undertake the remedial measures then they would be liable to pay an additional 20 per cent of cost for the damages.

It also said that despite repeated requests to the company, the issues have been left unaddressed for over two months.

Meanwhile, L&T, the firm that also executed the Central Vista re-developmental project, said last year that they have made a counterclaim of ₹500 crore against PWD, Delhi, the report said.

The Pragati Maidan tunnel was inaugurated in 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a cost of around ₹777 crore. The project was aimed at providing a hassle-free and seamless connectivity between central, southeast, and New Delhi, as well as the city’s busy routes – Bhairon Marg, Ring Road, and Mathura Road – signal-free.