8 years on, deadline for Faridabad-Greater Noida bridge completion extended again

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, November 2

The construction of Rs 315-crore bridge over the Yamuna river to connect Faridabad with Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, which has emerged as one of the most delayed and time consuming projects, is not likely to be over, even this year, keeping in view the pending work. According to sources, the project may take another six to eight months to become fully operational.

Time saver

• As the foundation of the project was laid on August 15, 2014, work on the ground started in February 2018.
• With the first direct connectivity between Faridabad and Greater Noida, the bridge is likely to reduce the travel time between two cities to just half an hour.

“Over eight years have passed and six deadlines of the project have been missed. The project’s next deadline has been fixed on April 30 as the construction work of the 15-km approach road to the bridge is yet to be taken up,” said officials of the PWD who are carrying out the project.

According to sources, 95 per cent civic work of laying the span of the bridge is over but the authorities will not be able to do the work related to the construction of the bandh (side wall) of the approach road due to the ban on earth excavation during the graded response action plan

(GRAP) period. It is claimed that earth related work could be taken up only after the end of the GRAP, which was imposed to tackle pollution in the NCR.

Claiming that an NOC for the removal of trees was also awaited from the Department of Environment and Forest, sources said around 600 trees had to be axed for the approach road on the Faridabad side.

Marred by an initial delay of over three years after laying of the foundation, the project of the 630-metre long bridge over the Yamuna could take off in February 2018 with an assurance of its completion by December 31, 2019. The deadline was revised to March 2020, June 30, 2020, December 31, 2021, June 30, 2021, and March 31, 2022, mainly due to issues related to technicalities and payments and the pandemic.

Pradeep Sindhu, Executive Engineer, PWD, said, “The phase I of the civil work has almost been completed and the phase II, connected with the construction of the approach road, is expected to be over soon.”