Western bypass project likely to be delayed

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, May 31

The construction work on the western bypass, an ambitious project of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, is likely to be delayed further as a major flaw has come to light at the stretch where the traffic of this bypass would merge with National Highway-44.

At a road safety meeting last week, it was highlighted that the stretch is too narrow and would cause congestion on the Western Yamuna Canal bridge.

The construction work is in full swings. The project has already missed two deadlines of March 31 and April 30, 2018.

The district authorities have constituted a joint committee of the National Highway Authority of India, the Public Works Department (B&R) and the Irrigation Department to look for a solution to the problem.

Davinder Sharma, a resident of Uchana village, said the engineering wings of various departments associated with the project should have detected this flaw earlier and solved at earlier stages.

“The project’s drawing is perfect and there is no flaw. Since the bridge on the canal is part of National Highway-44, it could only be widened by the National Highway Authority of India. We cannot do anything in this regard,” said a senior official linked with the project.

To connect the Kaithal road with National Highway-44, near Uchana village, in order to ease congestion, the Chief Minister had laid the foundation stone of the 6.5-km-long and 10-m-wide stretch in February 2016. It is being constructed at a cost of Rs 57.09 crore. The work on the project started in July 2016.

Earlier, the project was marred by a controversy as the authorities had started work on it without obtaining necessary clearances from the Regional Empowered Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change for cutting trees. The project was to be completed by March 31, but the department concerned was forced to extend the deadline for one more month. However, the work is yet to be completed.

“ I have constituted a committee comprising the project director, National Highway Authority of India, officials from the Public Works Department and the Irrigation Department to look for a solution,” said Nishant Kumar Yadav, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC)-cum Secretary, Road Transportation Authority. He said the option of widening the bridge might be explored.

from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2LOnJjR