Dwarka Expressway Flyover to be Completed in March 2021

The Haryana portion of the Dwarka Expressway is likely to become operational by March 2021 if the construction goes as per they have already planned. NHAI officer, familiar with the online project informed that the delay in getting clearance for tree felling from the forest department of the Delhi Government may force the Delhi Portion that lies in Haryana. The official added that tree felling is presently underway as the work on the first package has not yet started.

The construction work on both the packages consisting of package 1 (from Shiva Maruti to Sector 21 Dwarka Metro Station) and package 2 (from Sector 21 Dwarka to the Haryana Border) has not gained that speed. The work was awarded to NHAI in October 2019 assuming the completion in 2 years. The chief general manager of NHAI, Manoj Kumar, said, “Although tree felling for package one, we were still waiting for permission from the forest department. Work has been awarded in package one. However, we need permission from the forest department to start work.” NHAI contractor working on both of the packages said until they receive permission for package one, they could not start the work.

J Kumar Infraprojects’ deputy project manager, OS Sirhoji said, “We are still waiting for permission to fell trees from the forest department.”According to NHAI contractor,  the tree felling process for package one is on and would take next six months before the casting yard becomes completed.

The officials of NHAI said that the application for the permission from the Delhi forest department of felling nearly 6,343 trees has been sent before Delhi elections. The authority gave the approval for translocating only 4,425 trees. Remaining 1,918 trees cannot be translocated. Keeping this aspect, the Forest department has not permitted which is acting as a halt in the project. The forest department cleared that they sent NHAI’s request to the state government and are waiting for state government’s opinion. The principal chief conservator of forest, Delhi Forest Department, Ishwar Singh confirmed, “ We have submitted the file to Delhi government for approval.”

The Highway Authority is of the opinion that the commuters would be able to access 18.96 of 29 km of Dwarka Expressway from March 2021, after the completion of the project. Rest work would face a little delay. Sirohi added, “the one-kilometre road that connects the Haryana border and Delhi is narrow and can allow only two cars to pass at a time. Even when work on Haryana Portion is complete, commuters won’t be able to smoothly move towards Delhi as the road ahead is very narrow.

Compared to Delhi, NHAI had an easier implementation in Haryana as fewer trees were to be cut and timely, the permission came. The work on 2 more packages, that is package three (Haryana border to Basai railway overbridge) and package four (Basai road overbridge to CPR/SPR/NH-8 junction) was started in the October of 2019. In August 2019, NHAI wrote its request of felling of 2,041 trees to the Gurugram Forest Department and permission was granted.  Project director of L&T Limited, RK Mishra said, “We have never had any issues with the felling of trees in Haryana.”

NHAI is also planning in constructing a toll plaza in Delhi for this project. As the work on two packages will start before Delhi’s portion, the authority of highway is pondering an implementation of closed tolling would intervene the connecting time.  Member (finance), ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), Asheesh Sharma, in December 2019, wrote to the government of Haryana and asked its consent on the closed tolling on Dwarka Expressway and NH-8. He said, “We are waiting for their reply.”

NHAI officials clarified that after closed tolling introduction, the commuters will have pay only for the distance they would travel. A Senior NHAI informed that “NHAI never starts an expressway without collecting toll. The highways authority is thinking of having closed toll facility on this stretch. Commuters will be required to pay only for the area they have travelled to.”  Whereas,  project director of Dwarka Expressway,  Udeep Singhal, chose to remain silent in this aspect.

Dwarka Expressway’s Haryana Portion would be utterly elevated and two points would be present Badshahpur and Pataudi Road. The contractor of the project, RK Mishra said “We were supposed to complete the entire project by December 2020 but with two months of construction work being stopped, we will hand over the two packages to NHAI in the first week of March 2021. We are on schedule.”

Source: https://www.pressreader.com/india/hindustan-times-chandigarh/20200309/281758451346281