Work began in February 1996 -- after the stone was laid by the then chief minister, Madan Lal Khurana -- and was supposed to finish by February 1997. Two-and-a-half-years later, the project is far from over. Meanwhile, life has taken on a different colour for the residents, shopkeepers and regular commuters in the area.

As Public Works Department (PWD) cordoned off a section of the road in front of the Munirka Market and started digging, the road became an obstacle course. Traffic was diverted and the busy stretch became a bottleneck. With vehicles vying for space, pedestrians were the worst hit. As there are no red lights or traffic policemen in the area, one can see a perpetual group of pedestrians waiting at the edge of the traffic for an opening to make a dash across the road.

After roughing it out for two-and-a-half years during which one section of the subway was finally complete, people expected some relief. However, they were in for disappointment as no effort has been made to repair the road. Subway construction, as an excuse, is no longer valid. If the contractors working on the project are to be believed, the roads would be open to traffic by next month but it would still take another three months before the subway can be used. Iron girders to reinforce the floor are still being laid and the flooring and the stairs opening towards R.K. Puram are yet to be built. The recent `discovery' of electricity cables on this end is further expected to delay the project.

R.S. Sheoran, PWD Superintending Engineer, says: ``The delay was caused because of the change in design. It was converted from a two-armed subway to a four-armed one after local residents made a representation to this effect. Work had to be stopped midway and designs revised. '' The subway is being built under the supervision of Chief Engineer K.N. Aggarwal, Superintending Engineer R.S. Sheoran, Executive Engineer M.K. Jha and Assistant Engineer Anil Sachan.