NHAI aiming to complete Kumbh Mela works by June 2020

| | Haridwar
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NHAI aiming to complete Kumbh Mela works by June 2020

Wednesday, 13 November 2019 | Karan Khurana | Haridwar

With the State Government focusing its efforts on ensuring a grand Kumbh Mela slated to be held during 2021 in Haridwar, the National Highways Authority (NHAI) is also striving to overcome the roadblocks that have caused delays in completion of various construction works.

According to sources, the company, tasked with the construction works in the past, was blacklisted later. Due to this, the NHAI is now working to finish the tasks left incomplete by the blacklisted company.

The authority is working to complete works on four national highways before the Kumbh Mela 2021.

These works include work on 80 kilometres of national highway 58 from Narsan to Shantikunj, works on national highway 73 from Roorkee towards Chutmalpur, Saliyar bypass, national highway 72 A and national highway 74 from Chidiyapur to Najibabad. After the Era Infrastructure company got blacklisted, NHAI is completing the tasks. The earlier deadline for the tasks was October 2019 but various major construction works are yet to be completed. Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had in the past expressed confidence that the works would be completed by mid 2019.

Officials in the NHAI also feel that execution of the works needs to be expedited. Though the projects were rolled out under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) mode, these were later shifted to to Build On Quantity mode.

Sources point out that the delay in completion of works will also lead to a rise in the cost.

The delay in the works has elicited reprimands from state officials including the Garhwal commissioner when he had last inspected the works ongoing for the Kumbh Mela.

According to information provided by official sources, the Dehradun Project Implementation Unit (PIU) is undertaking the project handling of NH 58 and NH 73 which encompasses old supply bridge, Sarvanand Ghat bridge and new supply bridge opposite Pantdweep ground, Chandighat flyover, Premnagar flyover and Jwalapur railway over bridge (ROB), construction work on which is yet to be started.

Meanwhile, work is underway on the stretch of the highway from Shantikunj to Rampur, Doodhadhari Chowk flyover, Shankracharya Chowk flyover and Singhdwar flyover.

"We are focusing on executing the works in full swing for the Kumbh Mela 2021. Our focus will remain on completing the projects positively by June 2020," said NHAI technical manager SK Verma.

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