Land acquisition row, nod to cut trees awaited: Barapullah Phase 3 faces hurdles

Once constructed, the 3.5-km-long corridor will ensure a faster commute between Noida, East Delhi and South Delhi, said officials, adding that more than two lakh vehicles are expected to use the stretch.

The signal-free corridor will also cut down commute time to key medical institutions like AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital and other places in South Delhi to around 20 minutes for people travelling from Mayur Vihar Phase 1 or Noida. It will also improve access to the soon- to-be-ready World Trade Centre at Nauroji Nagar and other areas in the Capital like Green Park, South Extension, Hauz Khas, Dhaula Kuan and the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Elaborating on one of the challenges delaying the project, a senior PWD official said the ongoing construction work on the Yamuna floodplains has been paused after torrential rain in Delhi on June 28, which marked the onset of monsoon. The record rain of 228.1 mm had brought the city to a grinding halt.

“When the water-level increases in Yamuna during the rainy season, the gushing water makes it difficult to construct the supporting pillars and girders… To avoid any kind of mishap, the department stops construction work around the river from June-end till September, or till the rain stops completely…,” said the official.

Officials said the water also gushes out when they dig deeper. In a bid to resolve the issue, they have deployed a system to drain out the groundwater every 15 minutes, which helps in preventing the base of pillars from getting flooded. “If the water is not drained out timely, it hampers the work,” the official added.

Shortage of required number of land parcels has also been delaying the project for over five years, as per officials privy to the details. The department still needs land parcels of 1,169 sqm to construct a 690-metre elevated portion that will bridge two gaps of 400 metres and 290 metres, said officials.

“The work on the mid-section is left. We need that land to join the pillars. The Southeast revenue district is trying to get the needful done… We had expected that the land would be made available by June but the process was delayed as some private owners moved court… But we are hopeful the issue will be resolved in one or two months,” an official explained.

Officials said the remaining parcels are required in the Nangli Razapur Village to complete work on the elevated corridor, which will pass over the Barapullah drain.

When asked about the revised or expected date of completion, another official said, “We are not sure. Last year, the department had set a revised deadline for October 2024… The land matter will be cleared and the department will get the land. Despite that, the project will be delayed over approval to cut trees from the Forest Department, which has been pending for the last 1.5 years.”

The department awaits approval to cut a total of 274 trees. “Earlier, officials (in the Forest Department) said they have sent the application to higher authorities, which is pending in-principle approval,” the official said.

The elevated bridge will have four lanes with dual carriageways of 17.80 m wide on either side.