Originally slated as part of the infrastructure upgrades for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, both projects have been plagued by delays. While the Jangpura facility was abandoned mid-way by its contractor, the New Friends Colony project remains partially flooded due to a persistent high groundwater table.
The MCD’s House has now cleared a revised cost estimate for the two projects, a move that civic officials said would finally allow work to be wrapped up within the next year. “Construction began in 2010, with an initial deadline of 2012. However, legal disputes with the executing company and prolonged delays in approving cost escalations pushed the timeline back significantly,” a senior official said.
The Jangpura underground parking, located near Block A and the extension area, was designed as a three-storey facility with a capacity for 308 vehicles. Work on the site commenced on January 29, 2010, as part of a larger plan to build nine such lots after the games. However, the project came to a standstill when the contractor fled, leaving it incomplete.
We blacklisted the company and forfeited its security deposits. The matter is also being pursued through legal channels,” the official added. “While the structural shell is ready, the pending work – including electrical installations, air circulation systems, and other ancillary infrastructure — will now be completed within a year.”
The facility was given a partial inauguration ahead of the 2017 MCD elections. A black granite plaque at the site commemorates its “opening” in March 2017, attended by the then mayor and local legislators. Yet, nearly a decade later, the gates remain locked, forcing residents to park on the adjacent roads.
At the New Friends Colony site in Sarai Julaina, a partially operational underground facility with a capacity for 604 vehicles has faced its own set of challenges. While two basement floors are functional, the third remains waterlogged due to groundwater seepage. “The third basement requires a complete structural overhaul and waterproofing,” an official said. The MCD currently runs pumps to dewater the area, though officials admitted an electrocution incident had been reported during such operations in the past.To cover the escalating costs, the MCD has revised the total budget for both projects to ₹130 crore, up from the initial ₹104 crore. With the fresh allocation of ₹26 crore now in place, officials said the remaining hurdles would be cleared within the next 12 months.
