Construction of foot-over-bridges and subways in the city will now take a pause with the norms getting stricter. As per the directives of unified traffic and transportation infrastructure (planning and engineering) centre or UTTIPEC, an advisory body for transportation, the civic agencies like Public Works Department (PWD) and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) can go ahead with the project of constructing FOBs and subways only when they fulfill the criteria set by the UTTIPEC.

In a letter addressed to principal secretary, PWD and commissioner, MCD, on February 1, the UTTIPEC officials have highlighted that FOBs should be an exception and not a rule. They are to be provided only under circumstances where no signal crossings are feasible. Underpasses should not be provided at all unless under extreme circumstances where no other solutions are possible. The letter also includes that list and locations of FOBs to be audited should be provided by PWD and other agencies to traffic police through UTTIPEC. Traffic police is to see the use of FOBs during peak hours on any working day and submit the report to the UTTIPEC, plus, all proposed FOBs must be brought to the advisory body for approval before implementation.

These points were raised during the UTTIPEC’s meeting presided over by Delhi lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna. Earlier, there was no criteria for constructing FOBs and subways following which these constructions came up anywhere in the city even where these were not required, says a senior UTTIPEC officer. Atleast for the time being there will be no such construction in the city, he adds.