ERA sets December 2016 as new deadline for Rs 95-cr project after legal impediments
The much-needed Expressway Corridor (flyover) from Bikram Chowk to Women College at Gandhi Nagar is set to miss its August-2016 deadline due to technical and legal impediments.
The Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA), executing agency, has now set December-2016 as the new deadline for the completion of Rs 95-crore project. Besides, there has been an escalation of project cost by Rs 4 crore due to “additional construction” of some structures.
“We have come across a legal issue on a portion of the project as some people have approached the court that they have not been paid suitable compensation while acquiring their land for the project. We hope that we will soon get relief from the court and work will again be started there,” Satish Sagar, Project Manager, ERA, told.
He, however, said nearly 60 per cent construction work had already been completed, while the remaining work was expected to be completed by December 2016 — four months behind schedule.
The work on the 1.3-km flyover having four lanes was started in May 2013 and it was scheduled to be completed by August 2016. The project also includes widening of 1.5-km road from six lanes to eight lanes. The flyover work includes construction of two subways and four bus ways.
The project is being funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB). The flyover is an elevated corridor comprising 38 pillars, two subways and four bus ways. After the construction of the flyover, the inter-state and inter-district traffic on the Kathua and RS Pura routes would be regulated through the flyover.
Sources said a total of Rs 95 crore was sanctioned for the project, which included Rs 67 crore for the construction purpose, which has now gone up to Rs 71 crore, while the remaining amount was meant for acquisition of 26 kanals of land required for widening of road to eight lanes, rehabilitation of affected businessmen and shifting of utilities of the PHE, BSNL, PDD and Forest Department.
Presently, the city of temples, which is the transit place for Vaishno Devi pilgrims and tourists to the Kashmir valley, has only one flyover which was constructed between 1993 and 1998. After the increase in the number of vehicles, the existing road network is under a huge pressure.
Keeping in view the modernisation of the existing road transport system and address frequent traffic jams, the state had approved a plan in 2009 to construct a series of flyovers at an estimated cost of Rs 7,600 crore.
Under Vision-2020 for Jammu city, flyovers were proposed to be constructed from Bikram Chowk to Panama Chowk, Bikram Chowk to Satwari and Jewel to the Canal Road.
