A long-delayed promise to Delhi's commuters is days away from delivery. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday, 26 September 2026, walked the full length of the Barapulla Elevated Road Phase-III corridor, declaring it ready for public use ahead of its formal inauguration by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on 29 September.

Mayur Vihar to AIIMS — the signal-free promise

The corridor's defining feature is what it eliminates: every traffic signal between Mayur Vihar Phase-I in East Delhi and AIIMS in South Delhi. For lakhs of residents who daily navigate that cross-city grind — students, patients, office commuters — a signal-free elevated route represents a meaningful cut in travel time and frustration. The two zones have historically been separated by some of the capital's most congested surface roads, with no direct elevated link.

CM Gupta described the project as giving 'a new direction to Delhi's connectivity and growth,' framing it as part of a broader infrastructure momentum building under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Viksit Delhi hashtag she attached signals the project's deliberate placement within the BJP's national Viksit Bharat development framework.

Barapulla's long road: Phase-I, II, and now Phase-III

The Barapulla Elevated Road is not a new idea — its earlier phases were built across the 2010s to stitch together east-west corridors across the capital. Phase-III is the latest and most ambitious extension, stretching the spine deeper into South Delhi and finally reaching AIIMS, one of the country's most visited public institutions. Completing a multi-phase urban infrastructure project of this scale typically requires navigating land acquisition, utility shifting, and coordination across multiple civic bodies — making the finish line genuinely significant.

The BJP won Delhi's assembly elections in 2025, and the Gupta government has since moved to accelerate a slate of long-pending urban road projects, positioning infrastructure delivery as a core governing credential.

Amit Shah's 29 September inauguration date

The choice to have Amit Shah cut the ribbon — rather than a local minister alone — signals the political weight the party assigns to this opening. Shah's presence connects a city-level infrastructure win directly to the Union government, reinforcing the BJP's narrative that Delhi's development stalled for years and is now being unlocked under central partnership.

After inauguration, the corridor's real test begins: whether travel-time savings materialise at scale, and whether the project seeds further conversation about integrating the elevated road network with Delhi's expanding metro lines.

Millions of commuters have waited for a faster, signal-free path across one of India's most congested cities — on 29 September, they get their first drive on it.