Bridge over Yamuna to connect Faridabad with Greater Noida set to miss 6th deadline

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, June 27

The bridge over the Yamuna river to connect Faridabad with Greater Noida is lying incomplete even after the passage of 94 months. It has missed five deadlines and is all set to miss the sixth one.

The stone was laid way back in 2014 and the PWD is constructing the bridge. The work may take another year in view of the pace of the work, claim sources in the district administration.

Though the next deadline is to be announced formally, the officials of the department claim that the bridge is likely to be ready by March next as the laying of the spans of the 630m-long bridge is in the last phase.

While the foundation stone was formally laid on August 15, 2014 by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, work on the ground could be started only in 2018 as it took four years in preparation of the DPR and sanctioning of the budget.

With the cost of the bridge reported to be Rs 106 crore, the total budget of the project is likely to be over Rs 325 crore which includes the cost of the land to be acquired for connecting the bridge with the roads in Faridabad and in Greater Noida.

The Union Government will bear a cost of around Rs 250 crore of this project, reveal PWD officials.

The local MP and Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries, Krishan Pal Gurjar, who took stock of the project recently, has directed the officials to ensure its completion in the next six months. December 31, 2019 — the first deadline — was revised to March 2020, June 2020, June 2021, December 2021 and June 30, 2022 in wake of slow work.

Describing it as a very delayed project, Paras Bhardwaj, a social activist, said that it was the commuters and residents who were at the receiving end.

Pradeep Sindhu, Executive Engineer, PWD, said as 90 per cent of the civil work is over, it is expected to be ready by February next.