Delhi’s 500 roads to be carpeted with concrete

In Delhi city at least 500 roads are going to be carpeted with concrete with their new owner, Public Works Department (PWD), looking to improve the life span of stretches prone to waterlogging. Most of these 500 roads were under the municipal corporation, till the PWD, a Delhi government department, took custody in 2012.

As the Assembly elections scheduled for later this year, the relaying of roads to enhance protection against waterlogging might become the showcase project of the government. Experts say while the cost of carpeting with concrete is almost double that of bitumen, concrete roads survive five times longer. Around 500 concrete roads will be constructed in the city, road engineers concerned said.

The main stretches include Najafgarh-Nangloi, Uttam Nagar-Najafgarh and Rama Road near Karol Bagh. The remaining are small stretches, mostly inside colonies,’ a top PWD engineer said. PWD claims that most of the roads face the problem of waterlogging every monsoon, and the bitumen gets damaged easily. The only issue with concrete is that it leads to elevation in the road level. So, these roads are being constructed in areas where the road level was low, a PWD official said.