Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in slow lane, commuters harried

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, August 17

The slow-paced construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway passing through the city has emerged as one of the prominent causes of inconvenience to the residents and commuters.

The lack of coordination and delay in handing over the right of way (ROW) is allegedly restricting the progress of the project, the foundation of which was laid on March 1, 2019. “Due to the lack of wide slip roads, frequent traffic jams and snarling can be witnessed during the peak hours”, said AK Gaur, a local resident. The NHAI sources claim that the delay in ROW has been one of the main reasons behind the lethargic pace of work. The existence of bottlenecks at some points, in the form of petrol pumps and other constructions, have also halted the progression.

None of the eight CNG and petrol pumps, coming in the way, have been shifted to the alternative land allotted to them, added sources.

According to an official, the NHAI gave August 10 as the appointed date for this passage, also called Package 2, from Sector 37 to Sector 65 in Faridabad therefore, the work on it would require to be completed within 24 months.

It came to be known that the appointed date is released after the clearance of all the hurdles and handing over of the ROW. “The work of handing over of the ROW is almost done and the repossession of the land of less than a hectare, by the fuel pumps, is expected to be completed by August 30,” said Jitender Dahiya, Administrator, HSVP. PK Singh, vice-president, DRA Infracon Pvt. Ltd. claimed that the work on this part of the expressway is likely to be finished in 2024. The part of the expressway starting from Ring Road-DND junction in New Delhi will culminate at the KMP Interchange near Sohna (60 km long).