While the Centre and the Delhi government have put their plans for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in full swing, the biggest infrastructure upgrade project that was to be timed with it ? the modernisation of the dilapidated New Delhi Railway Station at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore ? is way off track. Domestic and international visitors won?t be seeing a spruced up version of the station opened in 1956 by India?s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad.

Railway minister Lalu Prasad had promised to complete the modernisation of the capital?s main railhead by October 2010, well in time for the Games. But the project, which has already run into a number of road blocks, has a fresh problem which will delay the project by at least six months and thus jeopardise any chance of having the new station ready before the Games?a traffic clearance from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

In fact, perturbed by the numerous delays, a number of government departments have suggested that the project should be awarded or construction work should begin only after the Games. As a Planning Commission official pointed out, ?Apart from foreign tourists, the Commonwealth Games will also bring many domestic visitors to the city. They will face a lot of difficulty when they come to the city, if the station is in the midst of a redevelopment programme.?

The ministry of sports and youth affairs, which is supervising a large part of the preparations for the Games, is beginning to get concerned. ?While the railway station is not directly linked to the Games, but it will lead to a lot of hassles for domestic travellers,? an official said.

The railway ministry had initially issued an RFQ for the New Delhi Railway Station Project in October 2007, but following contention clauses in the document as well as issues of cost escalation, the process was scrapped. Fresh bids were called in October 2008.

Thursday is the due date for interested developers to submit their bids in response to the Requests for qualification (RFQ) for the project. As per the original plan, the railway ministry had hoped to announce the six short listed bidders by March 17 this year. The bidders were expected to submit their financial offers by June 30, 2009 and the award of the project was to be wrapped up by September-end.

The latest delay to the project is thanks to the DDA asking the rail ministry to get a crucial road traffic clearance from before it can go ahead with the project. DDA has recommended a study of the estimated increase in road traffic once the station is modernised and functional. The authority will now conduct a study of the estimated road traffic, and give its approval after reviewing its suggestions.

Rail Bhawan officials expect this to take at least six months and have decided to put the Rs 9,000 crore-project on the backburner until then. ?All the bids and the request for qualification will be kept pending and we will go ahead with the bidding process after we get clearance from the DDA,? a senior Rail Bhawan official said.

As part of the plan, the private player will not only have to upgrade and re-develop the existing railway station and associated buildings but will also remodel the railway yard; and develop of the surrounding railway land, for which it is essential to get regulatory approval from the DDA.

But now with at least a six month delay, the project will be awarded at the earliest by March 2010. This would mean that the New Delhi Railway Station, one of the country?s busiest stations handling 275 trains and four lakh passengers daily, would be in the midst of construction when the city hosts the Commonwealth Games from October 3 to October 14 next year.